This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam, Raman Kirpal and Anand Vardhan discuss three big themes: Nitish Kumar’s succession politics in Bihar, religion creeping into sport, and the ethics of euthanasia.

On Nitish Kumar, Abhinandan frames the twist of his son entering politics and Nitish eyeing the Rajya Sabha as a test of “the inevitability of nepotism”, noting that even leaders who built careers on anti-dynasty politics eventually “just stop pretending that it’s not an issue.”

Anand is blunt about Nitish’s present state: “We have seen the decline in his cognitive health… there are hours when he’s in control, but most of the hours he’s not in control,” arguing that coterie figures are now “managing him and deciding for him.”

The conversation then shifts to religion in sports, triggered by controversy over India’s cricket World Cup trophy being taken to a temple and football matches pausing to allow Muslim players to break their Ramadan fast.

Abhinandan calls religiosity on the field “extremely distasteful,” adding, “If you want to fast, don’t play the game,” and asks why a state-aligned BCCI-style system would never allow the trophy to be taken to “a church or a mosque” without a political storm.

Manisha takes a more nuanced view, distinguishing between individual expression and institutional endorsement. She remarks, “If it’s a personal thing, it’s fine… but as a team it’s better to keep it out.” 

Raman adds that religion should remain a private matter and warns that public displays can alienate others.

Finally, the discussion transitions to euthanasia, following a Supreme Court case involving a man who has remained in a vegetative state since 2013. The debate centres on the distinction between active euthanasia and passive euthanasia, and the ethical dilemmas faced by families forced to decide whether to withdraw life support.

The discussion highlights the emotional difficulty of such decisions, especially when families continue to hope for a miracle despite medical evidence.

All this and more – listen to the full discussion.

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