This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal, and Anand Vardhan are joined by Dr Sumeet Mhaskar, professor of sociology at Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, and Ajoy Bose, veteran journalist and author of Behenji: The Rise and Fall of Mayawati.

The panel first discusses the controversy triggered by Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Azmi’s remarks on Aurangzeb while addressing the Mughal emperor’s portrayal in the film Chhava.

Sumeet provides historical context to the interpretation of Aurangzeb and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj’s legacies in Maharashtra. Explaining how they are shaped by competing narratives, he says: “Much more communalised interpretation is projected through movies, history textbooks, and plays”. The return of Aurangzeb to headlines shows that we are using the present to judge the past, rather than letting history inform our present, he notes.

Commenting on Aurangzeb’s legacy, Manisha adds, “When you look at the Mughals, I would say Aurangzeb was the worst of them...He's an odd hill to die on, especially for current politicians.”

The panel then analyses the “political decline” of Mayawati, and her decision to suspend nephew Akash Anand from the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Ajoy terms the suspension as a “significant moment”. Commenting on Mayawati’s “disruptive” thinking, he says: “If Kanshi Ram was the strategic genius who thought of using Dalits to become a political force, Mayawati was the person who delivered”. 

On where things went wrong for Mayawati, he remarks, “She got quite distracted by her prime ministerial dream being thrashed and made fundamental mistakes in handling the social alliance which brought her to power.”

As Abhinandan and Sumeet point to BSP’s cadre being the strength of the party, Anand underlines Mayawati’s “lack of political agility” as one of the reasons for BSP’s decline. 

This and a lot more. Tune in!

Hafta letters: Hafta letters: Echo chambers, role of university spaces, problematic takes

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Song: Kya Yogi hi Oggy hai?

Timecodes

00:00:00 – Introductions and announcements

00:03:09 – Headlines

00:03:09 – Was history always controversial?

00:17:24 – Aurangzeb’s return to headlines 

00:53:19 – Mayawati and the future of BSP

01:32:03 – Sumeet’s recommendation

01:39:30 – Ajoy’s recommendation

01:51:06 – Letters 

01:59:40 – Recommendations 

References 

NL Sena - The impunity of India’s police

Sumeet Mhaskar on What’s Your Ism

For Reasons of State: Delhi Under Emergency 

Behenji: A Political Biography of Mayawati

Across the Universe: The Beatles in India

Abhinandan’s Blog on Mayawati

Recommendations

Sumeet

In the Shadow of the Mill | Rukmini Barua

Ajoy

Fear and Loathing 

Manisha

A Complete Unknown

The Chat Room Behind the Pelicot Rape Trial

Anand

Aurangzeb was a bigot not just by our standards but also by those of his predecessors and peers

Everyday Reading by Aakriti Mandhwani

Raman

Delhi govt got drugs through blacklisted firms, says CAG. So did Modi govt

Anora

Abhinandan 

Here’s what the Hindi baiters don’t get

The Intelligence

Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters 

Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra, Ashish Anand, and Anil Kumar. 

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