For over a century, the RSS has operated not just as an ideological movement, but as a vast organisational network embedded in everyday life. From schools, hostels, labour unions, media houses, charities, and cultural forums, its reach extends into education, work, and communities.

A six-year research project led by Dr. Felix Pal from the University of Western Australia mapped over 2,500 organisations linked to the Sangh across India and the world. The Caravan magazine fact-checked the data and published it as an interactive map, revealing how the RSS builds influence quietly through social infrastructure rather than just politics.

In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna breaks down how the Sangh operates through schools, hostels, unions, media, and diaspora organisations, shaping communities and narratives both at home and abroad.

Watch to understand how the RSS wields power through everyday institutions and a global network of affiliated organisations.

Produced by Megha Mukundan, Script by Lakshmi Priya, Camera by Ajay R, Edit by Nikhil Sekhar ET

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The Supreme Court says prolonged detention violates liberty. Yet Umar Khalid has spent five years in prison without a trial. Another Supreme Court bench recently denied him bail. 

In September 2020, Umar Khalid was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for an alleged conspiracy behind the Delhi riots. Five years later, the trial has still not begun. There is no conviction, no verdict, and no finding of guilt. Yet he continues to remain in jail.

In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna unpacks how the UAPA makes bail harder than conviction, how delay turns into punishment, and how protest and political speech are treated as conspiracy.

Produced by Megha Mukundan, Script by Lakshmi Priya, Camera by Ajay R, Edit by Nikhil Sekhar ET

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After Congress leader Praveen Chakravarthy’s tweet, one economic comparison has gone viral: that Tamil Nadu’s total debt is now higher than Uttar Pradesh’s.

The claim is being used to suggest a simple story: fiscal failure in one state, discipline in the other.

But is that really how numbers are read?

In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna puts the debt figures in context. Because debt, by itself, tells us very little. What matters is how large an economy is, how fast it is growing, how much revenue it raises, and what that borrowing is used for.

Produced by Megha Mukundan, Script by Pooja Prasanna, Camera by Ajay R, Edit by Nikhil Sekhar ET, Graphics by Dharini Prabharan

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In 2024–25, the BJP received over ₹6,000 crore in political donations - that’s about 85% of all donations. 

Much of this money came from large corporate donors, many operating in sectors heavily dependent on government contracts, approvals, subsidies, or regulation. This includes major business groups such as L&T, Tata Group, Megha Engineering (MEIL), and Mahindra Group.

Many donors were also the companies under regulatory scrutiny, or recipients of major government contracts.

What does it say about quid pro quo? What does this level of financial dominance mean for electoral competition and democratic accountability? Pooja Prasanna explains in this week’s Let Me Explain. 

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Produced by Megha Mukundan, Script by Pooja Prasanna, Camera by Ajay R, Edit by Nikhil Sekhar ET, Graphics by Jaseem Ali

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MGNREGA allowed rural workers to ask the government for work and be paid if work was not provided. That basic promise shaped how the programme worked on the ground. Now, the Union government plans to replace MGNREGA with a new law called VB G RAM G, 2025. The new framework changes how jobs are approved, funded, and delivered. In this special episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna walks through what is changing and what it could mean for workers and states.

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Produced by Bhuvan Malik, Script by Pooja Prasanna, Edited by Dharini Prabaharan.

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The 2017 actor assault verdict has split Kerala. While six men were convicted for abducting and sexually assaulting an actor, Dileep, the alleged mastermind was acquitted of conspiracy charges. 

Protests followed, and the survivor issued a public statement saying justice felt incomplete. In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna breaks down what the court accepted, what it rejected, and why proving criminal conspiracy is so difficult under Indian law. 

➡️ Read our coverage of the case here: https://www.thenewsminute.com/topic/tnm-special-stories-kerala-actor-assault-case

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Produced by Megha Mukundan, Script by Lakshmi Priya, Edited by Nikhil Sekhar ET, Camera by Ajay R

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The unrest in Thiruparankundram during this year’s Karthigai Deepam festival did not emerge overnight. What unfolded on December 3 and 4 was the result of coordinated mobilisation, a controversial court order, and the reopening of a long-sensitive dispute on a shared sacred hill.

TNM’s reporter was on the ground documenting how activists from BJP, RSS, Hindu Munnani and other right-wing groups mobilised from across Tamil Nadu. How did this mobilisation happen? What is the controversial court order? Pooja Prasanna explains in this week’s Let Me Explain.

Read our ground reports here: 

https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/ground-report-the-organised-sangh-mobilisation-behind-the-thirupurakundram-unrest

https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/ayodhya-of-the-south-a-timeline-of-time-immemorial

https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/ayodhya-of-the-south-the-sanghs-southern-rehearsal

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Produced by Megha Mukundan, Script by Pooja Prasanna, Research by Azeefa Fathima, Reporting by Abhishek Vijayan, Camera by Ajay R, Satish, Edit by Nikhil Sekhar ET, Dharini Prabharan

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Why has the BJP struggled to translate its long presence in Kerala into political power? In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna looks at the Sangh Parivar’s decades-long organisational work in the state, the slow rise in BJP’s vote share, and why electoral success has remained limited. From Kerala’s lived secularism and dense social geography to literacy, political culture, and strong rival fronts, we break down what makes Kerala different and why the BJP’s familiar playbook has not worked here.

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Producer: Megha Mukundan

Script: Lakshmi Priya

Research inputs: Pooja Prasanna

Camera: Ajay R

Editor: Nikhil Sekhar ET

GFX: Dharini Prabharan

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Nearly half of India’s women factory workers are employed in one state: Tamil Nadu. In this week’s Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna travels to factory floors in the state to understand how women came to power Tamil Nadu’s industrial economy. From electronics and garments to auto components, women form the backbone of manufacturing. This success is shaped by decades of industrial policy, welfare schemes, and investments in education.

This episode looks closely at both sides of the story: the opportunities that factory work has created for women, and the deep inequalities that continue to structure their labour. Through ground reports and conversations with workers, union organisers, and economists, we unpack what Tamil Nadu’s model has achieved and what still remains unresolved.

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Producer: Megha Mukundan

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Did the RSS hire US lobbyists? Official disclosures in the US list the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as a client of one of America’s biggest lobbying firms. But the RSS denies any involvement. In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna breaks down the filings, the controversy, the firms involved, and what this means for India’s democracy and for India–US relations.

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Producer: Megha Mukundan

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