South Central

In this week’s South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna are joined by political scientist and scholar Professor Christophe Jaffrelot for an extended conversation on the RSS, the BJP, the rise of Hindutva and the changing nature of Indian democracy.

Audio timecodes:

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:01:36 - Headlines

00:08:20 - The BJP, RSS and the spread of Hindutva

01:10:34 - Recommendations

Check out the recommendations and references from this episode.

Check out the list of headlines discussed in South Central

Support South Central: https://pages.razorpay.com/south-central

Send your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism as well.

Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here

To check out our other shows, Click here

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

You can also let us know what you think by filling out our quick feedback form. Your suggestions help shape future episodes of South Central.

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

Producer - Akshay Lal, Editor -Jaseem Ali, Camera - Ajay R, Social Media - Riya T T and Anakha CJ

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

In this week’s South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna examine the legal questions surrounding the detention of Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, the use of peace bonds and the limits of the state’s power to prevent protests. They are joined by Apar Gupta, advocate and founder-director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, to discuss the role of executive magistrates, preventive detention and the implications for the right to dissent.

In the second part of the episode, the hosts speak to Sravasti Dasgupta of The Wire about YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy’s statement that he regrets supporting the 2023 law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners, and what this could mean for the political positioning of parties that have maintained that they are not aligned with either the BJP-led NDA or the INDIA bloc.

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:02:12 - Headlines

00:08:09 - Key developments in protests and crackdown in Delhi

00:41:51 - Are regional parties moving away from the BJP?

01:03:10 - Recommendations

Check out the recommendations and references from this episode.

Check out the list of headlines discussed in South Central

Support South Central: https://pages.razorpay.com/south-central

Send your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism as well.

Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here

To check out our other shows, Click here

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

You can also let us know what you think by filling out our quick feedback form. Your suggestions help shape future episodes of South Central.

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

Producer - Akshay Lal, Editor - Vignesh Manickam, Camera - Ajay R, Social Media - Riya TT

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

In this week’s South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Anisha Sheth examine what happens when journalists covering protests are detained by the police, and what it means for press freedom and the right to dissent in India. They are joined by Siddharth Varadarajan, founding editor of The Wire, and Abhinandan Sekhri of Newslaundry, to discuss allegations of police violence, the targeting of journalists documenting the protests, and the lack of a stronger collective response from mainstream media.

In the second part of the episode, the hosts speak to TNM Associate Editor Sukanya Shaji about the crash near Kochi airport in Kerala in which three young people were killed, the legal provisions applied in the case, allegations of rash and drunken driving, and the wider debate around privilege, accountability and the victim-blaming that followed.

Audio timecodes:

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:01:32 - Headlines

00:08:41 - Police action against protesters in Delhi

00:48:44 - Kochi Mini Cooper car crash

001:03:09 - Recommendations

Check out the recommendations and references from this episode.

Check out the list of headlines discussed in South Central

Support South Central: https://pages.razorpay.com/south-central

Send your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism as well.

Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here

To check out our other shows, Click here

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

You can also let us know what you think by filling out our quick feedback form. Your suggestions help shape future episodes of South Central.

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

Producer - Akshay Lal, Editor - Jaseem Ali, Camera - Ajay R, Social Media - Riya TT

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

In this week's South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Anisha Sheth are joined by activist Shivasundar to discuss the nationwide protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's removal.

In the second part of the discussion, they are joined by lawyer and legal scholar Alok Prasanna, co-founder of the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, who talks about the legal immunity enjoyed by the CEC.

Audio time codes:

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:01:42 - Headlines

00:08:12 - SIR protests

00:27:19 - Can Election Commissioners be prosecuted?

00:56:55 - Recommendations

Support our legal fund. Click here

Check out the recommendations and references from this episode.

Check out the list of headlines discussed in South Central

Support South Central: https://pages.razorpay.com/south-central

Send your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism as well.

Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here

To check out our other shows, Click here

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

You can also let us know what you think by filling out our quick feedback form. Your suggestions help shape future episodes of South Central.

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

Producer - Akshay Lal, Editor - Jaseem Ali, Camera - Sreerag T K, Social Media - Anakha C J

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

In this week’s South Central, hosts Pooja Prasanna and Anisha Sheth are joined by political economist and author Dr Parakala Prabhakar for an extended conversation on the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the deletion of voters and the larger questions these developments raise about India’s electoral democracy.

Audio timecodes:

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:02:35 - Headlines

00:09:35 - ECI, SIR and the deletion of voters

Support our legal fund. Click here

Check out the recommendations and references from this episode.

Check out the list of headlines discussed in South Central

Support South Central: https://pages.razorpay.com/south-central

Send your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism as well.

Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here

To check out our other shows, Click here

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

You can also let us know what you think by filling out our quick feedback form. Your suggestions help shape future episodes of South Central.

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

Producer - Akshay Lal, Editor - Jaseem Ali, Camera - Ajay R, Social Media - Anakha C J

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

This week’s South Central examines the questions surrounding the Veeramani case in Tamil Nadu, allegations of police inaction and a culture of silence. Hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna are joined by TNM’s Chennai Bureau Chief Shabbir Ahmed.

The episode also discusses the police raid on the Reporter TV newsroom and the wider debate over press freedom and media ownership, with senior journalist MG Radhakrishnan joining the conversation.

The episode also looks at reported dissent within the Election Commission of India, questions over electoral roll verification and the centralisation of voter data, and what the rift means for transparency and voter trust. The hosts are joined by independent investigative journalist Poonam Agarwal.

Audio timecodes:

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:02:08 - Headlines

00:08:12 - Veeramani POCSO case

00:27:19 - Reporter TV raid

00:47:08 - The Election Commission and internal dissent

1:09:35 - Recommendations

Support our legal fund. Click here

Check out the recommendations and references from this episode.

Check out the list of headlines discussed in South Central

Support South Central: https://pages.razorpay.com/south-central

Send your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism as well.

Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here

To check out our other shows, Click here

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

You can also let us know what you think by filling out our quick feedback form. Your suggestions help shape future episodes of South Central.

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

Producer - Akshay Lal, Editor - Jaseem Ali, Camera - Ajay R, Social Media - Anakha C J

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

In this week's South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna explore whether AI could pose an existential threat to humanity, and what regulation and the debate over whether AI development needs to slow down.

They are joined by Sarayu Natarajan, founder of Aapti Institute and Visiting Associate Professor at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and Deepthi Bathini, AI Policy and Strategy Fellow at Successif and Associate Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University.

In the second part of the episode, the hosts turn to the political developments in Telangana, including the ruckus during the Assembly session, the BRS-Congress confrontation and the growing questions over Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s control over both the government and the party.

They are joined by senior Deccan Herald assistant editor SNV Sudhir, who covers Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Audio timecodes:

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:02:39 - Headlines

00:09:17 - Warnings about the risks of AI

00:48:12 - Current political scenario in Telangana

1:10:15 - Recommendations

Support our legal fund. Click here

Check out the recommendations and references from this episode.

Check out the list of headlines discussed in South Central

Support South Central: https://pages.razorpay.com/south-central

Send your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism as well.

Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here

To check out our other shows, Click here 

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

You can also let us know what you think by filling out our quick feedback form. Your suggestions help shape future episodes of South Central. 

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

Producer - Akshay Lal, Editor - Jaseem Ali, Camera - Ajay R, Social Media - Riya TT

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

In this week’s South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna are joined by former Supreme Court Justice Madan Lokur to discuss a wide range of issues - from the cancellation of law school convocations following student protests against the CJI to mass voter roll discrepancies and the judiciary's hesitation to intervene.

In the second part of the discussion, the hosts are joined by Divya Arya, a journalist reporting for the BBC World Service, who worked on the story exposing the prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) content in Meta apps.

Audio timecodes:

0:00:00 - Introduction

00:02:50 - Headlines

00:12:43 - Dissent, SIR and more

00:58:28 - Meta and CSAM

1:27:15 - Recommendations

Support our legal fund. Click here

Register for the NL-TNM book club. Click here

Check out the recommendations and references from this episode.

Check out the list of headlines discussed in South Central

Support South Central: https://pages.razorpay.com/south-central

Send your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism as well.

Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here

To check out our other shows, Click here 

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

You can also let us know what you think by filling out our quick feedback form. Your suggestions help shape future episodes of South Central. 

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

Producer - Akshay Lal, Editor - Jaseem Ali, Camera - Ajay R, Social Media - Riya TT

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

In this week's South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna discuss controversial remarks by Muslim religious leader Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar on women’s participation in public religious events.

They are joined by Shahina KK, Founder and Editor of Offbeat Concerns, and Sunaina Shahida Ikbal, Writer, Psychologist and Academician.

In the second part of the episode, the conversation turns to the growing calls for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay to become Prime Minister in 2029, and what the phenomenon says about celebrity politics, political cults and Vijay’s ambitions. The hosts are joined by journalist E.T.B. Sivapriyan.

Audio timecodes:

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:02:30 - Headlines

00:09:37 - Grand Mufti - Statements, influence and pushback

00:48:26 - Vijay as PM

01:11:25 - Recommendations

Register for the NL-TNM book club. Click here

Check out the recommendations and references from this episode.

Check out the list of headlines discussed in South Central

Support South Central: https://pages.razorpay.com/south-central

Send your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism as well.

Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here

To check out our other shows, Click here 

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

You can also let us know what you think by filling out our quick feedback form. Your suggestions help shape future episodes of South Central. 

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

Producer - Akshay Lal, Editor - Jaseem Ali, Camera - Ajay R, Social Media - Riya TT, Anakha C J

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

In this week's South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna discuss the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to scrap the Parandur airport project. They are joined by aviation safety consultant Captain Mohan Ranganathan and K E Raghunathan, national chairman of the Association of Indian Entrepreneurs.

In the second part of the episode, the hosts discuss the recent anti-reservation movement. They are joined by Professor Ravikant Kisana.

Audio timecodes:

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:02:27 - Headlines

00:09:12 - Scrapping of Parandur Airport project

00:45:09 - Anti-reservation movement

01:19:53 - Recommendations

Get special 6-month subscription of TNM-NL at Rs 1947: https://pages.razorpay.com/tnm-1947?utm_source=sc&utm_medium=sc1947link&utm_campaign=sc

Check out the recommendations and references from this episode.

Check out the list of headlines discussed in South Central

Support South Central: https://pages.razorpay.com/south-central

Send your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism as well.

Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here. 

To check out our other shows, Click here 

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

You can also let us know what you think by filling out our quick feedback form. Your suggestions help shape future episodes of South Central. 

To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here

Producer - Akshay Lal, Editor - Jaseem Ali, Camera - Ajay R, Social Media - Anakha C J

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