Left, Right & Centre

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday claimed that Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao wanted to join the party-led National Democratic Alliance and that he "refused him entry". Shortly afterward, the Telangana leader's son, KT Rama Rao, responded, saying his father would never be "mad enough to want to join the NDA". On Left, Right & Centre, we ask - what does this bode for a state that is likely to see a three-cornered contest between the BJP, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, and the Congress?

31 people, including 16 newborns, died in a span of 48 hours in Maharashtra. While families have alleged a lack of medical assistance, the hospital has downplayed the deaths. An expert panel has been rushed to the spot to assess the cause behind the tragedy.

 

Bihar becomes the first state to release the data from their long-promised caste-based survey, with the report pegging the Backward Classes at 27.1% and the Extremely Backward Classes at 36% - which means a whopping 63% of Bihar's population belongs to backward castes. While the Mahagathbandhan government dubs this move a historical masterstroke, the BJP, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has rubbished the survey as an 'eyewash' and a move to divide the country along caste lines. On Left, Right & Centre, India's top political analysts and journalists weigh in on what the move bodes for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Law Commission's suggestions to the government against lowering the age of consent have reopened a raging debate. The commission says that changing the age of consent could expose children further to exploitation, however, it has called for judicial discretion while dealing with such cases. Should the age of consent be lowered, watch top lawyers and activists on Left, Right & Centre.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called out Canada for 'permissiveness for terror', saying, 'let's not normalise what is happening in Canada.' He said such allegations would not be accepted if they were directed to any other country. Watch top former diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar decode S Jaishankar's tough talk on Canada in Washington.

A report by the UN Population Fund has flagged a worrying trend - that the country's population of the elderly is rising sharply to the extent that those aged 60 and above will outnumber the young by 2060. The report highlights that this will impact health, economy, and society - and raises another question - does India have enough government schemes to cater to the elderly?

A week on, there is still no evidence from Canada to substantiate Justin Trudeau's allegations against India. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is not holding back in calling out Canada at every chance. From "political convenience can't determine responses to terror" to "if you have something relevant, let us know", S Jaishankar's tough talk has Canada cornered.

10 tigers were found dead in the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu in a short span of 40 days. While the deaths may be unrelated, such a high number of casualties is worrying - prompting the National Tiger Conservation Authority to send a team to investigate.

Air India and the Centre are aligned on making India a civil aviation hub, like Dubai or Singapore, and this is part of the company's plan as well, the airline's Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson has said.

The Government issued a strong rebuttal to global credit agency Moody's report on Aadhaar, which raised questions on the effectiveness of Aadhaar's biometric technology amid other issues. The Centre said that the report is 'baseless' and backed up Aadhaar, saying it is trusted by one billion Indians.