Click here to download this episode to listen to it offline.

In this edition of Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Mehraj D Lone and Raman Kirpal are joined by Ajai Shukla, a defence journalist, former colonel of the Indian army, and current consulting editor at Business Standard. The panel discusses the developments in and the broader implications of the India-China border flare-up, Patanjali’s Coronil debacle, and the Jagannath Rath Yatra.

Ajai explains the chronology of events from April onward at the border. He says Chinese soldiers “marched into three different sectors of India and occupied a chunk of Indian territory”, measuring about 60 sq km, where they started building defences. Initial reports were either ignored or dismissed by official sources until 20 Indian soldiers were killed, he adds.

The panel discusses why this episode is unique, why the government might have denied these reports, the reasons for China’s new aggression, and how this incident might affect the balance of power between India and China. “There is absolutely every prospect that China might do something to activate the Arunachal border,” Ajai says.

The conversation shifts to the Supreme Court allowing the Jagannath Rath Yatra to take place in Puri. The panel talks about how the state government and public health experts should have made this decision, not the court.

In the context of how Patanjali used its licence to manufacture immunity boosters to promote “Coronil” as a cure for Covid-19, Manisha says questioning Ramdev has been equated to questioning ayurveda itself. Mehraj details the bogus testing methods that Patanjali followed.

The conversation also spans the complexity of calls to boycott Chinese products, the development of indigenous industrial capacity, whether there is a global resurgence of socialism, Delhi’s coronavirus mathematics, and much more.

Tune in!

Song: Cheeni Kum

Hafta letters: Ideological tilts of media platforms, India-China conflict, dispatches from Vadodara

References

Meerut doctors Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali claims to have cured of coronavirus? They never tested positive

Why is the media not questioning Baba Ramdev's miracle coronavirus cure?

#MediaRumble: Maria Ressa in conversation with Hartosh Bal

Recommendations

Ajai

The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom: America and China, 1776 to the Present by John Pomfret

Raman

Are coronavirus deaths in India far higher than what data shows?

Should policymakers weigh an adjusted Covid death rate?

Manisha

Coomi Kapoor writes: Because of the pandemic, justice has been delayed in some compelling human rights matters

Articles by Barkha Dutt, Shiv Aroor, and Manu Pubby and Kumar Anshuman

Mehraj

Delhi Police buried complaints accusing BJP leaders in February violence

Abhinandan

HARDtalk, Maria Ressa: Is the press under attack in the Philippines?

Produced by Aditya Varier, recorded by Anil Kumar, edited by Harshula Sharma.

Get updates about our podcasts via Twitter and Facebook.

You can also find the show on:

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Castbox | Pocket Casts | TuneIn | Stitcher | SoundCloud | Breaker | Hubhopper | Overcast | JioSaavn | Podcast Addict | Headfone