Left, Right & Centre

The Election Commission says it can hold simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls, but can it work and is it even desirable in a democracy like India?

From election hacking, like in the United States, to cyber attacks that have brought governments to their knees, has the internet become more of a threat today?

UP CM Yogi Adityanath joined the 15-day relay walk in Kerala, launched by BJP Chief Amit Shah. The BJP says it's focusing on CPM's murder politics. On a warpath against 'Jihadi Red Terror', is Yogi Adityanath the BJP's Hindutva mascot?

How far will we have to go for our right to breathe clean air? The Supreme Court banned the sale of firecrackers last year in Delhi - an order which the top court modified later this year with riders. The children on whose petition the Supreme Court acted have approached the top court again to re-impose the ban.

It is the single biggest story that is confronting this country - the state of the economy. Growth is at a three year low, at just 5.7 per cent - something even the most die-hard supporters of the government say is too low and needs to be fixed. And where are the jobs? That is the key question for most folks as new data shows that creations of jobs has also shown a sharp decline. Many economists believe a combination of demonetisation and the GDP implementation has only added to the problem. Others don't think demonetisation was such a big factor. Just last week former finance minister Yashwant Sinha went public with scathing criticism of the way the economy is being handled - he doesn't believe it will be fixed by 2019, the time of the next General election. Joining us on Left, Right and Centre, a man who has worn many hats, former union minister in the previous NDA government, a former editor and economist, Arun Shourie.

We've been talking about the state of the economy - one key area of focus is small businesses which have been badly hit by the implementation of GST. Many now have little or no money to even run their businesses.

22 people were killed today when they found themselves trapped in a stampede on a foot over bridge connecting two stations in Mumbai. But what makes a tragedy like this so much worse is the fact that it could have been prevented. These 22 lives could have been saved if warnings had been heeded, if someone had taken warnings about the impending disaster on this very foot over bridge seriously.

He is the author of a key American law that strongly punished Pakistan for pursuing a nuclear programme by misusing US aid. Senator Larry Pressler, who advocated the famous Pressler Amendment, is out with a new book 'Neighbours In Arms'. It takes an in-depth look at how the US was once deeply worried about the development of nuclear weapons, and how it stopped aid and military sales as a result. How did that all unravel later?

Former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha broke his silence on the economy and wrote a piece in the Indian Express that essentially tore the government apart on its economic policies, particularly Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's handling of the situation. Mr Sinha has predicted that the economy may not recover in time for the next Lok Sabha elections. Union Minister Jayant Sinha, who is Yashwant Sinha's son, has also written a piece in the Times of India in which he defended the government's policy decisions. We take a look at what made Yashwant Sinha speak up. Is the economy in a "mess" or is it something else?

A Karnataka High Court judge resigns after he is overlooked for a key promotion. This is the same judge who had ordered a CBI probe into the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case in Gujarat. So what is going on here? Is there a lack of transparency in judicial appointments?