We The People

She rose from poverty to become the fastest Indian woman sprinter. Banned from competition for hyperandrogenism, she won a landmark legal battle to come back and now she's become India's first openly gay athlete. Hear her incredible story, a story of many firsts in her words.

In a special Townhall, model and actor Lisa Ray opens up on life after cancer, mothering twins via surrogacy, her accidental acting career and how she dismissed an acting offer from filmmaker Shekhar Kapoor. She also shared how she botched up her audition for the role of a Bond Girl. She doesn't regret any of it!

After one of the most polarised election campaigns India has seen, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked newly elected parliamentarians to work without any discrimination on the basis of faith and caste, to take everyone along, including those who have not voted for the ruling alliance. PM Modi also made an addition to the BJP campaign slogan since 2014 - saying "sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas", and stressed on the need to win over the trust of minorities. After India's most acrimonious election campaign, one studded with references to "termites", which saw the nomination to parliament of a terror accused who glorified the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, is PM Modi's talk of inclusion too little too late?

In this last stretch of Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to court controversy over his references to the armed forces. At an election rally in UP's Kushinagar, he hit out at critics saying "Will my jawans ask the Election Commission before firing a bullet?" And in a television interview this weekend, the PM claimed his inputs helped the IAF execute the Balakot strikes, as he had advised the IAF to use clouds as a shield against Pakistani radars detecting Indian fighter jets during the Balakot air strike. Can elections be won by politicising Army actions? And at what cost?

With CBSE Board examinations results out, students across India are discussing scores, cut-offs and panicking about admission lists. Many have passed with flying colours. Yet, there are many who are bearing the brunt of having scored much lower than what they and their parents, relatives and others had expected. Do grades guarantee success? There is no authoritative study to suggest a clear link between success in board exams and career-led success, so what matters more: aptitude or attitude?

The seven Lok Sabha seats of Delhi will go to the polls on May 12, the penultimate phase of 2019 elections. For the first time, air pollution - which kills over million people a year finds a mention in the BJP and the Congress's party manifestos. The Aam Aadmi Party on the other hand has put a special focus on education and health. Do election issues matter or does the voter only care about personality politics?

Once ranked India's biggest airline by market value, Jet Airways is on life support. Its survival hinges on whether investors can be found to take on the loss-making, debt-ridden aviation business. But this is not the first time that a private airline has folded it wings. India has seen the same saga with Kingfisher Airlines, Air Deccan and Air Sahara. Despite such turbulence, the Indian aviation industry is among the fastest-growing in the world. More and more Indians are flying everyday, yet nearly all the major players are facing financial pressues. Jet Airways' collapse has brought India's airline industry under the scanner and casts a shadow on India's "booming aviation sector". The question is who is to blame and how can the sector prevent this from happening again.

In an attempt to reach out to the young, undecided voter, all parties are going beyond traditional media. They've set the tempo for these polls with campaign videos, songs and slogans. Clearly political messaging is an electoral weapon in this election. Is anybody getting it right or is the voter tone deaf?

This weekend, over 200 civil society organisations launched a campaign publicly denouncing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government saying that the current dispensation has attacked the social fabric of India. A collective of at least 150 scientists have appealed to voters to "reject those who lynch or assault people" and vote against "inequality, intimidation, discrimination". Academics to filmmakers have signed letters asking Indians to "vote the BJP and its allies" out of power, arguing that the idea of India and our constitution is under threat. Tonight on We The People, we debate whether the core ideals of India's Constitution are under threat. Is the battle for 2019, battle of governance or battle of ideology? A battle for values and not political parties? Is the 2019 election a Fight for the idea of India? If so, what is the idea of India?

It's the great paradox of this election. While experts expect a record women voter turnout, the deeper question is where is the representation of women in parliament? Women comprise 48 per cent of the population but hold only 12 per cent of Lok Sabha seats. That said, this election is already historic. In an unprecedented move, Mamata Bannerjee has fielded 41 per cent women candidates. Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik has earmarking 33 per cent of the state's 21 parliamentary seats to women. We are asking tonight, is this a game changer? Will other parties follow suit? What's preventing them from doing so?