Left, Right & Centre

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says it is time to embrace the people of the state who have suffered for decades and turn the Valley into "Jannat" or heaven again. He was speaking at a rally in Nashik where he also said the decisions which have been taken on Kashmir will help people realise their dreams and aspirations. On the show, is this outreach by the Prime Minister a sign that normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir will follow sooner rather than later? Remember, it has been nearly a month and a half since political leaders in the state were placed in preventive custody. All political dissent in the state has been put on hold.

Three days after she filed a statement in front of a magistrate alleging rape by the BJP leader Chinmayanand, there is still no justice for the young UP law student, who has been fighting from pillar to post. She now says that she will set herself on fire if there is no action being taken. The SIT investigating the case say they will not be influenced and are investigating the case closely but if that's the case, why have they not at the very least filed an FIR. All this on a day when the UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath says the "safety of women and girls is our priority."

"Howdy, Modi!" is being billed as a once in a lifetime cultural program on Sunday. That's when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be Houston attending an event being attended by 50,000 of his fans. The cultural programme is called "Woven: The Indian-American Story", a 90-minute cultural program that is a celebration of Indian-Americans and their contributions to the cultural, intellectual, and social landscape of the United States. This happens at 8 pm IST Sunday night. (Video courtesy: howdymodi.org)

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman bans e-cigarettes. Many would say that it is a welcome step - the presence of nicotine in e-cigarettes can cause addiction. This was becoming possible for children among others. But then, there are those who believe that this step is entirely regressive since e-cigarettes are safer than cigarettes and the government hasn't done anything to reduce tobacco consumption.

Superstar Rajinikanth weighs in on the language debate - On Amit Shah's suggestion that Hindi become a compulsory second language, the Tamil superstar-turned-politician says "No language can be imposed. Southern states will not accept a common language." On the show, with such fierce opposition from parts of the country, is the centre's drive to push Hindi impossible to achieve?

If you are an NGO and get funds from outside the country, then, among other things, you need to declare that you aren't involved in religious conversion, sedition or advocating violent means. The Home Ministry's changes in the Foreign Contribution Regulations Rules, 2011, which guides the operations of these NGOs seems designed to prevent the operations of many groups. Among other things, each and every member of the NGO's office bearers need to certify that they will not create communal tension and disharmony or advocate violent means. Where do these moves leave honest hardworking NGOs which work to protecting the rights of citizens or on environmental, health or social issues?

Lok Sabha MP and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah is slapped with the Public Security Act - a law that allows the state to detain a person without trial for upto two years without a trial. Dr Abdullah has been detained for three months at the moment. Is 83-year-old Dr Abdullah, a man with multiple health issues really a threat? Does he need to be slapped with the same Act that is used against separatists and stone-throwers?

Is language going to be the next big political battle? A few days after Amit Shah spoke about the need to have Hindi as a unifier in the country, there have been fierce protests from several leaders from southern states. Our language is our own, they say, and we value it and will not allow it to be dominated by Hindi. On the show tonight, the battle for language: Can Hindi be a true unifier as the Home Minister suggests or is this linguistic imperialism as has been alleged?

A couple, from Andhra Pradesh who made international headlines this week for becoming the world's oldest parents went home with their twin girls on Sunday. 80-year old Raja Rao and 74-year old Mangayamma used IVF to finally have children, after not being able to conceive for 57 years. But the very fact of an 80-year old and a 74-year old becoming parents has led to a growing controversy, with some doctors' groups even issuing a statement, saying this is a deplorable omission of ethics, morality and misuse of the Assisted Reproductive Technologies. They have demanded that IVF procedures should have an outer age limit of 45 years. On Left, Right & Centre we discuss why is this still a grey area in our laws? And is IVF for the elderly a triumph of medical science or just plain unethical?

As a part of a third installment of steps within three weeks to boost the slowing economy, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced a slew of measures to boost exports and affordable and middle-income housing. A special discussion on whether these measures will actually change the reality on the ground for India's economic slowdown.