Left, Right & Centre

Speaking on the seizure of close to 3,000 kilograms of heroin at Gujarat's Mundra port, Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant tells NDTV "There is silence on all sides, not only media but the institutions are silent. Why are they silent, because it is Gujarat? Had it happened in Mumbai what would have been the repercussions? This is a serious incident not just for the country but India's democracy too."

After the DRI seized 3,000 kg of heroin estimated to be worth nearly Rs 21,000 crore at Mundra Port in Gujarat, a couple in whose name the import-export licence was taken, has been arrested in Chennai, with a registered address in Vijayawada. The Adani Group has, meanwhile, said policing and examining containers was not its responsibility.

After a revised UK advisory accepted Covishield as a valid vaccine but said double-jabbed Indians still have to quarantine because of 'vaccination certification issues', Dr RS Sharma, National Health Authority CEO & Head of the Cowin App, tells NDTV "UK is interested in knowing the CoWIN architecture. Our technical team has interacted with the UK technical team. Two meetings have taken place and during those discussions, there were absolutely no concerns raised. CoWIN is one of the best applications in the vaccination area in the whole world, it is a fact. The entire process is digital, what comes out is a digital certificate that can be verified for its authenticity, integrity and truth. We have been very aligned and conscious of the fact that digital certificates will be needed, so the entire process from Day 1 has been completely digital."

A day after Narendra Giri, the head of a top religious body, allegedly died by suicide, the Uttar Pradesh police arrested Anand Giri, who was his closest aide until they had a falling out earlier this year. Now, an alleged suicide note has come to the fore, throwing up more questions than answers. What's the real story behind Narendra Giri's demise?

Former Union Minister and now Trinamool Leader Babul Supriyo speaks to NDTV about why he quit the BJP and jumped ship to Mamata Banerjee's camp. "I will be in a team in which I am part of the playing eleven, this is an opportunity for me to renew unfinished innings," he says.

India is all set to resume export of vaccines from October. This at a time when only 14 per cent of adult Indians are fully vaccinated. Does India really have a surplus of vaccines to export? On Left, Right and Centre, we decode the numbers.

The United Kingdom's new travel advisory states that passengers who are not vaccinated under "approved programmes in UK, Europe or the US" must self-quarantine for 10 days in the country even if they're fully vaccinated otherwise. This means that even Indians fully vaccinated with Covishield, the Serum Institute of India-produced Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, are not exempt and will have to quarantine and get tested at their own expense. Is the UK indulging in vaccine racism?

Charanjit Singh Channi will be sworn in as Punjab's first Scheduled Caste (SC) community Chief Minister at 11 am tomorrow. The outgoing Technical Education Minister in the Amarinder Singh Cabinet was one of the leaders who led the rebellion against Captain, accusing him of ignoring SC community in his cabinet and bureaucracy. Congress is eyeing the SC vote bank like all parties but does Mr Channi have the mass appeal to lead Congress in 2022? On Left, Right and Centre, is this a masterstroke or is a stop gap Chief Minister just not good enough months ahead of the polls?

Amarinder Singh quits as Punjab Chief Minister, months before state election, says he is humiliated and that his options are open. Punjab Congress Legislature Party meeting ends with the decision to choose the new Chief Minister being left to the Congress high command.

Virat Kohli's decision to quit as T20 captain after the T20 World Cup has come as a jolt to Indian cricket fans. In a statement posted on social media, Virat Kohli said, "Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all 3 formats and captaining regularly for last 5-6 years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead the Indian Team in Test and ODI Cricket." On Left, Right and Centre, we debate: did Virat Kohli make the right decision?