This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Jayashree Arunachalam, Anand Vardhan, and Shardool Katyayan are joined by election analyst and researcher Amitabh Tiwari, along with historian and Newslaundry subscriber Swati Chawla.

The episode opens with the latest updates on Bihar’s electoral politics and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision. Amitabh Tiwari calls out the contradiction at the heart of the process: “If Aadhaar is not the citizenship proof, then how can Aadhaar alone be used to get enrolled as a voter?

Anand adds, “Supreme Court's presidents and the judgments have made it clear that voting is  a statutory right, and not a fundamental one.”

Jayashree highlights the logistical absurdity in demanding documents: “In Bihar, only 40 percent of births are registered. So, most of the population won't have a birth certificate.”

Shardool sums it up: “It is the Home Ministry's job to identify citizens, not ECI's. ”

He questions the pressure on ground staff: “Booth level officers who are junior level teachers in government schools have left all their jobs and distributed 98 percent voter roll forms, and they are now saying that we are updating it 10 percent every day to over 60 lakhs forms.”

The panel also reflects on prohibition in Bihar, with many youth supporting it as a way to reduce crime in public spaces.

The conversation then shifts to the Dalai Lama, who turned 90 this week. Swati explains China’s obsession: “Control succession is a way to control society.” 

She slams Beijing’s state-appointed Panchen Lama as illegitimate and applauds India’s unwavering support: “No country has done more for the Dalai Lama and Tibetan exile than India has.”

Shardool says, “I believe India should be more aggressive to support.” Abhinandan presses: “If it’s worked so well, why is China still insecure about the Dalai Lama?”

Anand adds historical context: “China has a state memory since the Han dynasty of forcibly settling people to secure territory, like Tibet.” 

On what Tibetans want, he explains, “The Dalai Lama wants meaningful autonomy within China – not independence.”

This and a lot more. Tune in! 

Hafta letters: ‘Normalised’ issues, tourism in EU, ideas for letters

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Song: Yeh Bandhan Toh Pyar Ka Bandhan Hai

Timecodes

00:00:00 – Introductions and announcements

00:04:04 – Headlines 

00:16:08 -Bihar voter revision

00:56:28 - Amitabh’s recommendations

01:05:13 - Dalai Lama and future of Tibetan movement
01:40:19- Letters

01:49:31- Recommendations

References 

Subscribe to NL- TNM

NL Sena: India’s e-waste underworld

Newslaundry’s Broken Ballots series on voter enrolment 

LTA Trans Lives

Writing more of India into Tibetology

Centring ‘Tibetan’ in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies in India

Dalai Lama Came to India On A Path Many Had Treaded Before

We must confer a Bharat Ratna upon the Dalai Lama

Recommendation

Amitabh 

Attack On London 

Jayashree

The Ghosts of Mont Pelerin: Visiting the Birthplace of Neoliberalism

Bihar Special Intensive Revision

Indian nurse Nimisha Priya faces death sentence in Yemen

Anand Vardhan

Banker reveals how Gurgaon locals are earning lakh 

The Golden Road: Wlliam Dalrymple 

Shardool Katyayan 

The brutal life of an Urban Company beautician

How a regular ‘liker’ on social media became my stalker

Castlevania 

Swati Chawla

Tibetan Caravans: Journeys from Leh to Lhasa by Abdul Wahid Radhu

The publishing house TibetWrites (imprint Blackneck Books), co-founded by Bhuchung D Sonam and Tenzin Tsundue.

Abhinandan Sekhri

Chadar

Ashok Lavasa writes: On Bihar SIR, EC must press pause

EC’s Bihar voter list revision rekindles citizenship concerns

Club World Cup semifinal

Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters.

Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra, Amit Pandey, and Anil Kumar. 

Research assistance by Swastika Rajput.