This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Anand Vardhan are joined by former Chief Election Commissioner Dr SY Quraishi and cartoonist Rachita Taneja. 

The show starts with a detailed discussion on the controversy surrounding the USAID funds allegedly released to “increase voter turnout in India” and an Indian Express fact-check that found that the said amount was meant for Bangladesh, never India.

“The Election Commission is allergic to the thought of taking money from anyone outside India…We had enough funds and enough self-respect,” says Dr Quraishi, adding that he is also “very confident” about his successors.

On Donald Trump cancelling USAID funding for several projects, Jayashree says, “What he’s doing is terrible…but there is a tendency to paint US aid as US generosity.” The US has used aid programs as part of its foreign policy, she points out.

The panel then moves to discussing the midnight notification issued to appoint Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner. “If you need to be bipartisan, you have to have someone who is not a politician,” Raman says about Kumar’s appointment.

On the selection process, Dr  Quraishi says that India has the “most defective system of appointment” despite having the “most powerful election commission in the world.” 

The panel also discusses the Indian government blocking Tamil news website Vikatan after it published a critical cartoon depicting PM Narendra Modi and Trump.

Rachita, who runs the popular page Sanitary Panels, says: “I don’t know where to draw the line between censorship and self-censorship. If you are being given threats or being told that you can land up in jail, is that not part of censorship itself?”

This and a lot more. Tune in!

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Timecodes

00:00:00 - Introductions and announcements

00:02:57 - Headlines 

00:09:19- USAID controversy

00:34:30 - CEC appointment process

00:53:06 - Blocking of Vikatan website

01:30:14 - Recommendations 

Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters 

Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande and Anand Vardhan are joined by The Caravan’s Hartosh Singh Bal and Delhi University professor Tanvir Aeijaz. 

The panel begins the show by discussing Narendra Modi’s meeting with Donald Trump which Manisha terms “a test of statecraft” for Modi. The discussion then moves to the Delhi election result, which saw the BJP returning to power after 27 years. 

“This is a new BJP. It has gained strength since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” says Hartosh. “...These elections were not fought on Modi’s back. The party now has organisational strength. Even if Modi falls to the wayside, it does not make a difference to the BJP.” As the panel discusses the AAP and Congress’s performance, Abhinandan says, “One thing BJP has pulled off well is that they won Delhi without a [chief ministerial] face.”

Tanvir talks about the controversy surrounding the new UGC draft guidelines that give state governors a prominent role in selecting vice-chancellors. “This regulation comes in the backdrop of the idea that we need to have one curriculum, one education system across the country,” he says. “But education is a concurrent subject…everything in a monastic form creates a problem for federalism.”

This and a lot more. Tune in!

Hafta letters: Economies and ‘police states’, the question of ads, courts and parole

We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. 

Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. 

Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.

Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/9Az11BtCKQ8

Timecodes

00:00:00 - Introductions and announcements

00:04:57 - Headlines

00:11:48 - Modi in America

00:18:20 - Delhi elections

 00:45:13 - Manipur developments

00:51:20 - UGC guidelines 

01:22:16 - Tanvir’s recommendation

01:29:55 - Hartosh’s recommendation 

01:33:17 - Letters

01:46:01 - Recommendations 

Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters 

Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand.

This episode is outside of the paywall, just for the week and just for you. Before it goes back behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal and Anand Vardhan are joined by Supreme Court advocate Mihira Sood and journalist Govindraj Ethiraj.

The panel discusses the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand. Mihira says, “There are many peculiarities of the law, but the strangest is that registration of live-in relationships is more cumbersome than a marriage…The penalty for not registering a marriage is nothing, but the penalty for not registering a live-in relationship can be imprisonment.” 

Commenting on the backlash to inter-faith relationships in the state in the recent past, Manisha adds, “What we know from newspaper reports is that registrations will be scrutinised by the Bajrang Dal…What the Uttarakhand government wants to do here is just police people who are living together.”

On the new budget announced for 2025-26, Govindraj says there’s “nothing really landmark” in the budget but the “benefits offered to the middle class are a good thing”. “It is correcting a problem of the recent past – the pressure of inflation on households and incomes not growing as they did before,” he says.

The panel also discusses the continuing depreciation of the rupee against the dollar, and the ‘unease’ of doing business in India. 

This and a lot more. Tune in!

We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. 

Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. 

Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.

Timecodes

00:00:00 - Introductions and announcements

00:02:12 - Headlines

00:13:37 - Uniform Civil Code

00:44:08 - ‘Unease’ of doing business

00:49:57 - Budget

01:11:05 - Depreciation of the Rupee

01:23:27- Letters

01:45:00 - Recommendations 

Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand, edited by Hassan Bilal. 

This episode is outside of the paywall, just for the week and just for you. Before it goes back behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal and Shardool Katyayan are joined by senior advocate Indira Jaising and independent journalist Saurabh Sharma. 

The discussion starts with tax authorities axing The Reporters’ Collective’s non-profit status. Indira says the I-T department’s action against the investigative news outlet is part of a “strategic and calculated crackdown by the government on independent media and journalism”. She says everyone should stand up for the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression and ensure it is not eroded.

The panel also talks about the tragic stampede at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj. Saurabh breaks down all that went wrong leading up to the tragedy. “There was absolute radio silence from the government for nearly 19 hours about how many people died,” he says. 

Saurabh adds that he believes the death toll is higher than the official government figure: “I went to the morgue and counted at least 59 bodies.” Raman blames Uttar Pradesh’s VIP culture for the chaos at Kumbh. 

Abhinandan and Manisha take note of how legacy media attempted to drown out the news of the stampede. On the government’s PR push, Manisha says, “All you are trying to do is show the good news, but that is not going to get you good global coverage.” 

This and a lot more. Tune in!

Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/5o8WY9UVKGk

We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. 

Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. 

Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.

Timecodes

00:00:00 - Introductions and announcements

00:03:35 - Headlines

00:13:55 - The Reporters’ Collective loses non-profit status

00:43:16 - Indira’s recommendations

00:44:32 - Kumbh stampede

01:01:38 - Saurabh’s recommendations

01:02:25 - Mismanagement at Kumbh, VIP culture in UP

01:25:43 - Letters

01:43:08 - Recommendations

Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters 

Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra, Tista Roy Chowdhury, and Anil Kumar.

Production assistance by Hanshul Mohan. 

This episode is outside of the paywall, just for the week and just for you. Before it goes back behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam and Anand Vardhan are joined by author and political analyst Sanjaya Baru. 

The discussion begins with Donald Trump being sworn in as the 47th President of the United States of America. The panel analyses the fears of a second Trump presidency. “He will do a lot of damage, yes, but the fear of Trump is greatly exaggerated,” Sanjaya says, adding that India, and the world, historically, has shown the ability to withstand imperialist powers.  

Jayashree adds, “Trump comes off as unhinged, but he is the essence of what America is like.”

 The panel also addresses the Indian media’s exaggeration of Foreign Minister S Jaishankar’s presence in the ‘front row’ at Trump’s swearing-in ceremony. Commenting on India-US relations, Manisha says, “The Joe Biden administration was kind to Narendra Modi’s administration…if Trump is not accommodative, it will affect BJP’s ‘vishwaguru’ politics domestically.”

The panel also discusses how the CBI and TMC government are appealing for the death penalty in the RG Kar case, and catches up on all the subscriber letters we’ve received so far.  

Tune in!

We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. 

Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. 

Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.

Timecodes

00:00:00 - Introductions and announcements

00:03:04 - Baru on his book ‘India’s Power Elite’

00:08:12 - Headlines

00:20:28 - The return of Donald Trump 

00:40:43 - Economic impact of a second Trump presidency

00:55:27 - Baru on Manmohan Singh 

01:02:43 - Baru’s recommendations

01:04:43 - Death penalty

01:16:44 - Letters

01:59:46 - Recommendations 

Check out Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters 

Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Anil Kumar. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Jayashree Arunachalam and Shardool Katyayan are joined by journalist Nidhi Razdan and economist and writer Vivek Kaul.

The panel begins with the Delhi polls, and Abhinandan says the BJP’s USP is primarily centred around portraying Kejriwal as a horrible politician. Shardool points out that the BJP is “organisationally strong” but doesn’t have a face in Delhi. Nidhi talks about the AAP’s shortcomings and Kejriwal’s struggle to hold onto his image as an aam aadmi. She also says the Congress is entirely missing from the conversation.

The conversation shifts to the current state of the media and the lack of accountability in newsrooms. Nidhi says, “Things that we thought were just shocking or immoral or unethical or unconstitutional – everything is being normalised. And part of the reason is because the media doesn’t ask difficult questions.”

Vivek then unpacks the rupee falling against the dollar and its repercussions. He emphasises that this isn’t a crisis, saying, “The rupee will keep depreciating against the dollar for the simple fact that inflation in the US is usually lower than inflation in India.” He also explains the downfall of the Indian economy in the last few years. 

Tune in!

We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. 

Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. 

Download the Newslaundry app. Contribute to our latest NL Sena here.

Timecodes

00:00:00 - Introductions

00:00:20 - Announcements and appeals

00:01:54- Special message

00:03:28- Panel introduction

00:04:38- Headlines

00:10:58 - Delhi elections

00:37:50- Current media landscape

01:12:34 - Rupee crash

01:55:44 - Recommendations

Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters 

Produced and recorded by Prashant Kumar and Priyali Dhingra.

This episode is outside of the paywall, just for the week and just for you. Before it goes back behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Manisha Pande are joined by author Amitava Kumar and academic Joyojeet Pal.

The panel discusses Amitava’s new book The Green Book: An Observer’s Notebook, and Amitava explains the role that journaling plays in his life. 

“Journaling is a means of self-discovery and a tool to document our times. Personal narratives can preserve truths and challenge erasures of history,” he says. He also says journaling helps counteract misinformation since it’s “about creating a record that endures beyond fleeting news cycles”. Manisha adds that reading her own journals from her childhood “makes me cringe at times, but they’re a reminder of how far I’ve come”.

The conversation shifts to Meta’s decision to terminate its fact-checking partnerships. Joyojeet warns, “Abandoning fact-checking opens the floodgates for radicalised communities to define their own truths.”

Jayashree says, “ A lot of this is about changing things that are associated with liberalism. And that’s exactly what that revised policy says. It says that you can now make allegations of mental illness or abnormality based on gender and sex. You’re allowed to compare people to faces and filth based on protected characteristics.”

The panel also explores Elon Musk’s controversial claim that social media is the new media, how algorithms shape narratives, and a lot more. Tune in!

We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. 

Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. 

Download the Newslaundry app.

Timecodes

00:00:00 - Introductions

00:00:44 - About Fight To Breath Campaign

00:01:50- Panel introduction

00:05:08- Headlines

00:09:57 - The Green Book and journaling

00:30:47- Announcements

00:32:10- Meta’s fact-checking decision

01:02:02 - Social media as news

01:23:03- Special message

01:25:50 - Subscriber letters

01:40:51 - Recommendations

Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters 

Produced and recorded by Prashant Kumar and Priyali Dhingra.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Jayashree Arunachalam, Raman Kirpal and Shardool Katyayan are joined by The News Minute’s Pooja Prasanna.

The panel begins with protests in Bihar against a ‘paper leak’ in the Bihar Public Service Commission preliminary exam. Jayashree explains, “The normalisation process for exams has been rejected outright by the BPSC, but it’s a standard procedure in other competitive exams.” Shardool emphasises systemic delays and negligence, stating, “Students are aging out of eligibility because of these recurring delays – it’s a vicious cycle.”

The conversation turned to the lynching of a Muslim man in Moradabad over allegations of cow slaughter. Shardool calls it an “economic issue as well as a social issue” since “most victims of lynchings are from the lower economic strata, unable to defend themselves legally or socially”. Jayashree criticises the media’s reportage of such incidents: “We don’t report these as murders; they are contextualised as actions driven by allegations – almost a justification.” 

Abhinandan adds, “It’s telling that the prime minister and government are quick to comment on global issues but remain silent on hate crimes within the country.” Pooja highlights the impunity enjoyed by repeat offenders: “In Karnataka, a hate offender live-streamed attacks and continues to engage in hate speech, even while out on bail.”

The panel closes with predictions for 2025. Raman predicts worsening economic conditions, saying, “Public sentiment is unlikely to favour large-scale protests despite growing discontent.” Abhinandan sums it up, “If we want systemic change, citizens need to harness collective power to push politicians to act. Protests alone won’t be enough.”

This and a lot more. Tune in!

We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. 

Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. 

Download the Newslaundry app.

Video timecodes

00:00:00 - Introductions

00:01:39 - Announcements

00:06:36- Headlines

00:18:54 - Bihar paper leak protests

00:30:58- Moradabad Murder

00:41:51 - Hindutva’s growing influence and economic motivations

00:53:26 - Panel’s predictions for 2025

01:10:11- Special Message

01:12:46 - Subscriber letters

01:32:24 - Recommendations

Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters 

Produced and recorded by Prashant Kumar and Priyali Dhingra.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande and Raman Kirpal were joined by former Supreme Court judge Justice Madan Lokur and political journalist Neerja Choudhury.

Neerja describes Dr Manmohan Singh, who died this week, as a “gentleman politician and a unifying figure” who will be remembered for his “decency in politics” and landmark contributions such as the RTI Act, MGNREGA, and the Indo-US nuclear deal. Justice Lokur says, “He was a great man and a great loss for the country.” 

Manisha reflects on the media’s role during Singh’s tenure, saying, “Back then, leaders were judged critically but fairly, without fear of retribution.”

Abhinandan adds, “Manmohan Singh’s leadership taught us that decency is not a weakness but a strength in politics.”

On the media and judicial accountability, Justice Lokur acknowledges the increased public scrutiny on courts. “There must be ways to check judges without undermining the institution,” he says, referencing the need for mechanisms beyond impeachment. Neerja criticises the sensationalism that’s come to define election coverage, saying the media’s role “is to hold power accountable, not amplify divisive rhetoric”.

The panel also reflects on key events of 2024. Neerja cautions that the “challenge to Modi’s leadership might come from the extreme right within the BJP itself”. Manisha points out the troubling rhetoric in election speeches, adding, “The prime minister’s speeches targeting minorities were demoralising and crossed a line.”

Raman highlights the year’s highs and lows, saying, “The coalition government formation was a relief for democracy, but the political language this year hit new lows.”

This and a lot more. Tune in!

We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. 

Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. 

Download the Newslaundry app.

Audio timecodes

00:00:00 - Introductions

00:02:49 - Headlines

00:09:53 - NL Sena announcements

00:11:18- Manmohan Singh’s legacy

00:34:52 - Media, judiciary, and key events of 2024

01:03:06 - Announcements

01:11:46 - Subscriber letters

01:19:14 - Recommendations

Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters 

Produced & recorded by Prashant & Priyali. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pandey, and Jayashree Arunachalam were joined by parliamentary affairs expert and journalist Meghnad S.

On the debate on the One Nation, One Election bill, Jayashree says that “the proposal reflects a strong anti-federalism stance.” She pointed out that while the bill may reduce costs, “it could strip states of their power”. Manisha says, “In terms of organising this it could be a mammoth task, especially with the inclusion of panchayat elections, making it an expensive exercise.” Abhinandan asks, “Is Modi the right leader to bring about such changes?”  

The panel then discusses the row over scuffle in parliament between the opposition MPs and those in the governing parties. Meghnad says, “It's like a WWE match in Parliament.” Abhinandan questions its media coverage, “Do you feel any shame or guilt about the way you work? How do you face your children?” 

This and a lot more. Tune in!

We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. 

Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. 

Download the Newslaundry app.

Watch the full video here: 

https://youtu.be/rayJQarf4Sk

Audio timecodes

00:00:00 - Introductions

00:00:27 - Announcements

00:08:20 - Headlines

00:15:42 - NL Sena Announcement

00:17:55- One Nation, One Election

00:46:49 - Parliament: Scuffles, allegations, and theatrics

01:10:37 - Subscriber’s letters

01:50:08 - Recommendations

Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters 

Produced & recorded by Prashant & Priyali. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.