NL Hafta

This week, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal and Anand Vardhan are joined by senior journalist and author Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay and EastMojo’s Karma Paljor. 

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This week, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande and Raman Kirpal are joined by The News Minute’s Dhanya Rajendran and Sudipto Mondal to discuss the Lok Sabha 2024 results. 

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This week, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, and Anand Vardhan are joined by The Caravan’s editor-in-chief Hartosh Singh Bal and investigative journalist Aruna Chandrashekhar.

On the final phase of elections, Hartosh says “it’s baffling” that the voting date in Punjab coincides with the 40th anniversary of Operation Blue Star. He says because of the strong anti-BJP sentiment in Punjab, the state remains a political battleground primarily for the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, despite the “quadrangular fight” after the split between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP.

The conversation then shifts to the issue of natural resource mining in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Odisha. Aruna describes them as “sacrificed zones”, regardless of the governing party. She says that due to the Congress's “neglect”, the locals had turned to the BJP.

On the rise in temperatures in Delhi and other metropolitan cities, Aruna says the environmental crisis has been triggered by urbanisation, reduced green cover, and increased concrete structures. She delves into the mention of environmental issues in the political parties’ manifestos. The panel also discusses the working conditions for labourers in the heatwave.

This and a whole lot more. Tune in!

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Song: Punjabiyan Di Shaan

Timecodes

00: 00:00 - Introduction

00: 07:47 - Headlines 

00: 19:02 - Elections in Punjab 

00: 25:25 - Voter sentiments in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha 

00: 31:49 - Key party battles in Punjab

00: 43:03 - On climate change and soaring heat waves  

01: 00:20 - Hartosh’s recommendations 

01:04:03 - Aruna’s recommendations 

01:21:34 - Podcast letters 

01:40:49- Panel recommendations 

 Hafta letters, recommendations, songs and references

Check out our previous Hafta recommendations.

Produced and recorded by Aryan Mahtta and Prashant edited by Hassan Bilal. 

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

This week, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Jayashree Arunachalam and Prateek Goyal are joined by journalist Faye D’Souza.

On the polls in Maharashtra, Faye says there is “a lot of goodwill” for the Thackerays. “Eknath Shinde does not enjoy that goodwill because of what was done to the Thackerays.” She adds that there was confusion about election symbols because of the split within the NCP and the Shiv Sena. “A lot of voters did not know the difference between their symbols.”

The panel then discusses the elections in Delhi and the alleged Swati Maliwal assault case. Raman breaks down the arithmetic of Delhi polls. “In 2019, the BJP’s margin of victory was 25 percent and above.” Abhinandan says that the coming together of the AAP and the Congress is “statistically not enough” to defeat the BJP in the national capital.

On the Porsche car crash incident in Pune, Jayashree says the story is getting traction because it “appeals very much to India’s upper middle class sensibilities”. Talking about the bail granted to the accused, she adds that all said and done, “we should not lose sight of the fact that any juvenile should get bail”.

This and a whole lot more. Tune in!

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General elections are at its peak and Newslaundry and The News Minute teams are bringing ground reports from across the country. Click here to support us.

Timecodes

00: 00:00 - Introduction

00:07:32 - Headlines

00: 13:22 - Elections in Maharashtra 

00:24:38 - Elections in Delhi, Swati Maliwal case

00:43:20 - Porsche car crash in Pune

01:05:50 - Faye’s recommendation

01:20:17 - Letters

01:39:45 - Panel recommendations 

Hafta letters, recommendations, songs and references

Check out our previous Hafta recommendations.

Produced and recorded by Aryan Mahtta, edited by Hassan Bilal.

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

This week, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam and Anand Vardhan are joined by advertising guru and columnist Santosh Desai and multimedia artist Anurag Minus Verma. 

On the impact of political advertisements, Santosh says it has “never” been a significant player, as ads “simply fail” to reach an audience “beyond a certain comfort zone”. Anurag says influencer and meme marketing agencies instead have become “very important” in communication strategies.

The conversation moves to the elections in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi and Rae Bareli. Manisha, who reported from the two constituencies, says that unemployment is a “really big concern”. She says that while people are talking about it from village to village, it is not a sign of anti-incumbency. “A lot of them say Modi should focus on this [employment] in his third term.”

On the temporary bail of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and his speech about Prime Minister Narendra Modi retiring before turning 75, Anand says, “It is a ploy to confuse voters.”

This and a whole 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. 

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General elections are here and Newslaundry and The News Minute have ambitious plans. Click here to support us.

Timecodes

00: 05:25 - Headlines

00: 14:21 - Political advertising 

00:59:32 - Santosh recommendation

01:10:33 - Amethi-Rae Bareli elections, Kejriwal’s interim bail

01:33:24 - Anurag recommendation

01:34:23 - Letters 

02:05:10 - Panel recommendations 

Hafta letters, recommendations, songs and references

Check out our previous Hafta recommendations.

Produced and recorded by Aryan Mahtta, edited by Hassan Bilal and Umrav Singh.

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

This week, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri and Raman Kirpal are joined by journalists Girish Kuber, Sunita Aron, and Sudipto Mondal. 

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech accusing the Congress of receiving money from industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, Sudipto says this news is not headline material but rather “gossip material”. He adds that the talk on the ground is “nahi mila kya is baar”, suggesting that the corporate houses put their weight behind the Congress in this election.

On the elections in Maharashtra, Girish says, “There is no state-wide agenda in these polls. There are 48 constituencies and 48 election agendas.” Sunita points out the BJP’s big challenge in UP. “The BJP has set a target of 75 seats, but after Rahul and Akhilesh came together, there is better chemistry and coordination [in INDIA bloc].”

The panel then discusses the BSP’s prospects and the sacking of its leader and Mayawati’s nephew, Akash Anand, from the post of national coordinator. Sudipto counters Abhinandan’s argument of the BSP being the BJP’s B-team, saying it “doesn’t come with a sensitivity” that the party represents a politics “different from all other parties” and represents “the most oppressed sections”. He adds, “The pragmatism that other parties show is appreciated a lot more than the pragmatism these parties [including the AIMIM and VBA] show.”

This and a whole 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. 

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General elections are here and Newslaundry and The News Minute have ambitious plans. Click here to support us.

Timecodes

00:06:27 - Modi’s Adani-Ambani speech

00: 16:20 - Headlines

00: 24:04 - Maharashtra elections 

00:29:49 - UP elections

00: 35:54 - Akash Anand’s sacking

01:11:06 - Letters 

01:30:12 - Recommendations

Hafta letters, recommendations, songs and references

Check out our previous Hafta recommendations.

Produced and recorded by Aryan Mahtta & Priyali Dhingra, edited by Hassan Bilal and Umrav Singh.

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

This week, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande, and Anand Vardhan are joined by in-house reporter Tanishka Sodhi and The News Minute’s Anisha Sheth.

On the alleged sexual abuse tapes involving JDS’s Prajwal Revanna, Anisha says the scale of violence is unheard of in Karnataka, “even though the state has had its share of sexual scandals”. Anand notes that several victims were party workers, and there is a need to examine political parties as workplaces.

The conversation then shifts to the politics in Bihar and Baramati, both set to poll on May 7. Tanishka says the two Pawar factions are in fray in Baramati but, “sympathy for Sharad Pawar cannot be denied”.

Abhinandan then brings up Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent speeches. He says Modi’s “Congress will take your buffalo” and “steal your mangalsutra” are the BJP’s “Hail Mary”.

This and a whole 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.

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Timecodes

00:00:31 - Press Freedom Week offer

00: 03:20 - Headlines

00: 10:10 - Prajwal Revanna controversy

00:30:04 - Anisha’s recommendation

00: 43:12 - The contest for Baramati

00:54:20 - Tanishka’s recommendation

00:54:47 - Bihar elections

01:04:30 - Gems of PM Modi

01: 20:30 - Letters

02:00:27 - Recommendations

Check out our previous Hafta recommendations.

Hafta letters, recommendations, songs and references

Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra & Aryan Mahtta, edited by Hassan Bilal and Umra

v Singh.

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

This week, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Jayashree Arunachalam and Shardool Katyayan are joined by The News Minute’s Pooja Prasanna and lawyer Vakasha Sachdev.

On the Karnataka polls, Pooja says the JDS and BJP are “better allies” than the Congress and JDS since “their target base does not overlap. Both parties bring something new and fresh to the table”. She adds that the “myth of the Vokkaligas being secular is nonsense”.

The panel discusses the inheritance tax debate, with Vakasha saying the tax has a solid rationale behind it “from a social justice perspective”. Jayashree says the matter escalated into a controversy because people are “conflating a lot of things, like what Modi said about the Congress taking away people’s money”. Shardool adds, “Most of the people arguing about this tax won’t have to pay it because it applies to the creamy layer of society.”

Vakasha then explains why the PMLA is problematic. On the state of the Indian judiciary, he says over the years, “we’ve had our justice system constantly become a voice for the establishment”, adding that there is a lack of critique of the courts. Abhinandan says people are possibly “afraid of critiquing the court because of contempt of court...so courts have completely gone out of scrutiny”.

This and a whole 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. 

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General elections are here and Newslaundry and The News Minute have ambitious plans. Click here to support us.

Timecodes

00: 04:31 - Headlines

00: 12:49 - Lok Sabha elections: Karnataka 

00: 26:30 - Inheritance tax

01: 00:00 - Prevention of Money Laundering Act

01: 28:55 - Letters 

01: 57:30 - Recommendations 

 Hafta letters, recommendations, songs and references

Check out our previous Hafta recommendations.

Produced and recorded by Aryan Mahtta, edited by Hassan Bilal and Umrav Singh.

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

This week, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, and Anand Vardhan are joined by political analyst Suhas Palshikar, tech expert Madhav Deshpande, and professor Shruti Kapila.

On the robustness of the election voting machines, Suhas Palshikar says EVMs have “definitely lost the credibility that they initially had”. He cites Lokniti-CSDS data. Madhav says “major technological change” in 2013, with the introduction of VVPAT has made EVMs a “different beast”.  

The panel then discusses the manifestos and poll promises. Shruti says the BJP manifesto is “very weird” and that “it wants to lower the temperature on Hindutva”. Anand calls it the manifesto of a party that is “very sure of a renewed mandate”, unlike the Congress manifesto, which is trying to “tick too many boxes”. 

This and a whole 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. 

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General elections are around the corner, and Newslaundry and The News Minute have ambitious plans. Click here to support us.

Timecodes

00:00:00 - 00:05:02 - Headlines

00:05:03 - 00:13:16 - Trust deficit in EVMs 

00:13:17 - 00:53:24 - BJP’s manifesto

00:53:25 - 01:28:36 - Letters 

01:28:37 - 01:34:00 - Recommendations

Hafta letters, recommendations, songs and references

Check out our previous Hafta recommendations.

Produced and recorded by Aryan Mahtta, edited by Hassan Bilal.

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

This week, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, and Jayashree Arunachalam are joined by policy researcher Yamini Aiyar and senior journalist Rasheed Kidwai. 

On the challenges facing think tanks in India, Yamini says working in policy has “moved from jholawala inputs to suit-boot inputs” over the years, referring to the increased corporatisation.  

The panel then discusses the Congress manifesto, and the party’s relevance in the upcoming elections. Abhinandan asks, “Is the Congress inevitable?” Rasheed says the grand old party is “not a dead body. It is very much alive and kicking.” 

The conversation then moves on to the controversy around Ramayana fame actor Arun Govil campaigning in Meerut with a photograph of the deity Ram. On the use of religion for votes, Rasheed says it’s “not an issue” for voters in India. 

This and a whole 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.

General elections are around the corner, and Newslaundry and The News Minute have ambitious plans. Click here to support us.

Timecodes

00:07:09 - Policy research in India 

00: 17:41 - Headlines

00:27:09 - Think tanks in India 

00:38:13 - Is the Congress inevitable?

00:59:50 - Use of religion in election campaign 

01:22:31 - Letters

01:55:19 - Recommendations 

Hafta letters, recommendations, songs and references

Check out our previous Hafta recommendations.

Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra, edited by Samarendra K Dash and Umrav Singh. 

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