Hafta 216: Christchurch shooting, Samjhauta blast verdict & more

In this episode of NL Hafta, Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal and Anand Vardhan are joined by journalist Maya Mirchandani.

The discussion kicks off with Amit Shah getting Lok Sabha elections ticket from LK Advani’s constituency, Gandhinagar. The panel also discusses Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s role in the current political scenario. Maya says, “Priyanka Gandhi is great optics for Congress.” The panellists agree that she is creating enough ripples as a new leader and is making BJP nervous. However, Raman differs, “Congress seeking an alliance is openly declaring that they have reduced to a regional party.”

Moving forward Abhinandan and Maya appreciate the Election Commission’s idea of increasing the transparency by asking for details of commutation of politicians via personal choppers and chartered flights. Talking about elections and parties, the panel also talks about Shah Faesal’s new political party, J&K Peoples’ Movement. While Abhinandan is skeptical about the party’s success, Maya also agrees that the party has no clear agenda. Raman adds, “As the polling percentage is low in J&K, so at this point, it might be a gamechanger.”

The panel also talks about the ardent and strong leadership of New Zealand’s PM Jacinda Ardern, who imposed an immediate ban on all military-style semi-automatic weapons, assault rifles and stood in complete solidarity with the community. Raman says, “Its an example of how to handle a crisis.” The panelists agree in unison that if she wouldn’t have called the incident a terror attack, nobody would have stood up.

The panel also discusses Shashi Tharoor’s defamation case against the derogatory remarks of Ravi Shankar Prasad in the Samjhauta Express verdict. For this and more, tune in!

A review of NL Hafta by Shoor Veer, Ayush and others

References
Readiness and Reliance: The aims of Observer Research Foundation
Manohar Parrikar: The Genial ‘Sanghi’ Whose Smile Hid the Saffron
The Believer: Swami Aseemanand’s radical service to the Sangh
NL Interviews: Why run away from an interview, Mr Indresh Kumar?
The Awful and Awesome Entertainment Wrap Ep 107: Hasan Minhaj on Indian elections, Cricket Fever and more

Why Partisanship Changes How People React To Noncontroversial Statements
One Head, Two Brains: How The Brain’s Hemispheres Shape The World We See

Produced by Kartik Nijhawan, edited by Umrav Singh and recorded by Anil Kumar.

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