Left, Right & Centre

A new book on the legendary actor Irrfan Khan is out. 'Irrfan: A Life In Movies' helps us understand the actor through the perspective of people who knew him closely - his friends, directors, co actors and collaborators. NDTV's Mohd Asim caught up author Shubhra Gupta and Irrfan Khan's wife Sutapa Sikdar to get an insight into the man behind the memorable screen characters.

Pakistan is on the brink again with no end in sight for its chronic political turmoil in a dramatic set of events. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested after an Islamabad court sentenced him to three years in jail. On LRC, we ask what is next for the politically volatile Pakistan that is facing one of its worst economic crises in its history.

The Gyanvapi Mosque committee has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court order which allowed the Archaeological Survey of India to survey the Gyanvapi Mosque and directing it to 'find out' if the 'present structure' has been built over a 'pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple'. On Left, Right & Centre, we break down the case, including the legal arguments, and ask the fundamental question - in a country with a history as rich as India, how long can you keep digging to uncover the past?

IndiGo, under scrutiny by the country's civil aviation regulator over recent safety concerns, said today that it had a very strong safety record before the tail strikes that brought it to the notice of DGCA. In an exclusive interview, company chief Pieter Elbers said they have been transparent about it and will take whatever measures are required after the investigations are completed.

Haryana remains on edge after two days of communal violence. In Nuh and surrounding areas, meat shops have been burned down, shanties set on fire and residents intimidated. While there has been no fresh violence today, fear still lingers among migrants and labourers, who are fleeing their homes. The Haryana police have arrested over a hundred people and launched a probe, but is it too little, too late?

A research paper by a professor at Ashoka University has sparked a political row - the paper suggests electoral manipulation in the Indian 2019 general elections, alleging a mismatch in Election Commission data and BJP winning a disproportionately high number of close contests, especially in the BJP-incumbent states. The BJP as well as some analysts have slammed the professor citing insufficient data, while Ashoka University has distanced itself from the report - but on Left, Right and Centre, we ask - is there any merit to Professor Sabyasachi Das' argument? Or is it unfair to run down the biggest democratic elections in the world?

In scathing remarks against the government over the ethnic violence in Manipur, the Supreme Court said today that there has been an absolute breakdown of constitutional machinery in the state for the past two months. The court has also demanded the personal presence of the Manipur Director General of Police during the next hearing on Monday. On Left Right & Centre, we ask - has the Manipur police failed the people of Manipur?

 

The ripples from yesterday's 18-hour communal clashes in Haryana's Nuh, which claimed five lives and left at least 70 people injured, have reached Badshahpur, 50 km away. Shops and eateries were vandalised and torched by a mob this evening amid religious chants. Witnesses said a mob of around 200 had entered the area around 3 pm, armed with sticks and stones. They vandalized several shops, including several meat shops, and set fire to an eatery. But on Left Right & Centre, we ask - where were the police in all of this - despite tension steadily building on social media between both communities a day before violence broke out?

As the Supreme Court hears the petition by the two victims in the Manipur gang rape horror and poses tough questions to both the Centre and the Manipur state government, questioning their inefficiency in taking action - the Parliament stalemate over a discussion on the state continues, with both houses being adjourned again before any fruitful debate could take place.

In her new book 'How Prime Ministers Decide', senior journalist Neerja Chowdhury delves deep into prime ministers' reigns in contemporary India and takes a critical look at each leader's defining decisions, ranging from Indira Gandhi's call to hold elections after Emergency in 1977 to Dr Manmohan Singh signing the key nuclear deal with the USA.