This week on NL Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal and Anand Vardhan are joined by Loksatta editor Girish Kuber.

On the political drama unfolding in Maharashtra, the panel dissects the Pawar vs Pawar situation, which is heating up by the day. Girish spotlights the popular narratives concocted around the controversy about senior Pawar “plotting and backstabbing” and dismisses them as “stupid”. He says, “The narrative is lazy, when in reality if Sharad Pawar was interested in the BJP, he being the chief would have taken NCP to it, without asking.”

On the impact of Ajit Pawar’s decision in far sight, Girish points out: “On the basis of history, no party can win Maharashtra on its own. So, at the end of the day, an alliance will come into play.”

The conversation then shifts to the incident of caste violence in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district, where an alleged BJP leader’s aide urinated on an Adivasi worker. The video of the incident was widely circulated. Amid internet outrage, the accused was arrested and part of his house was bulldozed. Chief Minister Shivraj Chauhan washed the victim’s feet, and posted a video of the latter talking about BJP schemes.

The panel had varied views on how the events unfolded in the controversy. While Abhinandan termed it a “great gesture” that will go a long way for Chouhan, Raman called it a PR spin for political gains.

This and a lot more, tune in!

Hafta letters: Gandhi and celibacy, battling propaganda, Uniform Civil Code