This week on Hafta, Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Anand Vardhan, and Rinchen Norbu are joined by a very special guest – our former colleague Jayashree Arunachalam.

The discussion begins with the geopolitical optics of the G7 Summit, India’s broader foreign policy, the US-Iran ceasefire, and the government’s response to the deaths of three Indian seafarers in US military strikes.

Jayashree is sharply critical of India’s cautious diplomatic positioning, stating, “India came off looking like a bit of a joke. Especially with the loss of the three Indian sailors – and we can’t even say boo. We couldn’t name the incident that took place; we couldn’t name the sailors. I think this is the most cowardly India has been.”

Manisha agrees, drawing a comparison to the 2012 diplomatic crisis triggered by the killing of two Indian fishermen by Italian marines off the coast of Kerala. “It was cowardly, especially when you compare it to Manmohan Singh’s reaction back then,” Manisha says. “Very categorically, he had said they violated rules, and they will suffer. We were still a mid-level power back then. I get that there’s a difference between Italy and the US, but there was still a very clear positioning that Indian lives matter.”

Manisha also breaks down the target audience for this diplomatic choreography: “I think [Modi] has been told that the messaging he needs to take out of the trip is hugs, photo ops, and a message to his audience back home that he is the best India has got. And Trump just gave him that.”

Evaluating the changing global order, Anand cuts through the theatre. “I think the G7 gained momentum in the phase of globalism and regained a new impetus after the 2008 global economic crisis. After that, it lost a bit of steam and became more of an international pageantry.” On India’s realistic place in global geopolitics, he adds, “India is a mid-power, and it will flex muscles only according to that.”

The panel then shifts focus to West Bengal and the public parading of arrested TMC leaders. Abhinandan questions the growing acceptance of such practices, arguing that publicly humiliating accused persons undermines due process. 

“I found it really disturbing that these TMC leaders are being paraded, often in their undergarments. Under the law, you cannot handcuff or tie anyone unless they are a threat. Yet eggs are being thrown at them in a clearly engineered manner. What is even more disturbing is that sections of the media are actually applauding it.”

Jayashree views it as a deeper structural issue: “This is not just a reflection of the governing party; it is a reflection of Indian society. We are still stuck in a medieval, feudal mindset where people want crude, immediate satisfaction and public punishment. All public parading is barbaric.”

Anand points out a missed opportunity for political reform in the state. “The BJP had an opportunity to introduce a different political culture in West Bengal, one that moved away from vengeance and retribution. That has clearly not happened. The justification that these are ‘crime-scene reconstructions’ doesn't hold because those can happen without turning them into public spectacles in front of crowds.”

All this and more.