Left, Right & Centre

The Centre's one nation, one election push has been strongly opposed by the opposition, who terms it 'unconstitutional' and 'against the federal structure' of the country. One way or the other, this is an interesting proposal - if implemented, it would rewrite the way our democracy works, but it will also require amendments to many laws. On Left, Right and centre, we ask - is this a feasible demand or is it a push purely for political motives?

 

The final countdown for the G20 summit in Delhi has begun. This is India's G20 Presidency, the scale of the event has been truly huge but it all boils down to the final statement expected over the weekend. While there are sharp differences over Ukraine, there does appear to be a great deal of mutual agreement on a host of themes - from sustainable economic growth to financial inclusion to fighting cyber crime to digitalisation.

Udhayanidhi Stalin, Tamil Nadu Sports Minister and Chief Minister MK Stalin's son, sparked controversy when he compared "Sanatana Dharma" with diseases like "dengue and malaria" - inviting sharp criticism from BJP, who termed his comments a 'call for genocide' - and dragged in the rest of the INDIA alliance, questioning whether the other members agreed with Mr Stalin's remark. The minister stands by his statement but has he created trouble for the united front?

 

The Law Ministry today notified the formation of the high-level committee to look at holding simultaneous elections under the chairmanship of former President Ram Nath Kovind. Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress's Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Harish Salve are in the eight-member committee. They will check whether amendments to the Constitution would need ratification by the states, and the feasibility of holding not only Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously, but also elections to municipalities and panchayats.

The video of a tribal woman being stripped in public by her husband and paraded naked through a village in Rajasthan has caused outrage. Chief Minster Ashok Gehlot visited the village and met with the victim. But given that elections are just months away, this has triggered a polticial storm as well.

The opposition's INDIA alliance is meeting in Mumbai to establish its presence as a serious national-level player. The big question is will there be a common minimum programme, a prime ministerial face and if they can overcome their differences.

The Adani Group has rejected what it called "recycled allegations" of hidden foreign investors in a report by the George Soros-funded OCCRP. What are the implications of these allegations? Is there any substance or are these deliberately timed allegations that have dealt with in the past? 

New satellite imagery shows the Chinese constructing a subterranean complex in Aksai Chin. Built 60 km from the Line of Actual Control, the scale of the construction is staggering. On Left, Right & Centre, we explain the implications of this encroachment.

 

After the success of Chandrayaan-3, ISRO has shifted focus from the moon to the sun - with the Aditya L1 robotic satellite set to blast off on Saturday morning. Left, Right & Centre analyses how this could propel our space mission further.

Two students died by suicide in a day in the country's coaching hub Kota, taking the total deaths by suicide to 23 in the first eight months of the year. This is the highest number of deaths by suicide in the last eight years. What is driving these students to premature death? Why isn't the Kota administration taking proactive measures to combat this? And how can the pressure that drives these young students to suicide be combatted? Left, Right & Centre debates.