Hafta 441: West Bengal’s political violence, missed signs of flood, climate volatility

This week on NL Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal and Shardool Katyayan are joined by senior journalist Monideepa Banerjie.

On the violence brewing in West Bengal in the run up to the panchayat elections and during polling, the panel deconstructs the ‘culture of violence’ that has existed in the state. They dwell into what makes West Bengal and its history more porous to such political strife. Manisha questions “whether this violence is a ‘left legacy’ or just Bengal in essence”. The panel also discusses the instrumental role of rural politics in the big picture.

The discussion then stirs to the signs we missed in the build-up to the current floods across Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. “Why is urban planning so inept at accommodating the population?” asks Shardool. The conversation then moves on to the irony presented to us, courtesy of the volatile climate, and how none of us are ready to meet the ‘El Nino Motherload’.

This and a lot more, tune in!

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Song: Arey Pagol Hue Jago

Timecodes

00:03:35 - Headlines 

00:21:12 - Bengal Panchayat Polls

01:01:08 - North India Floods

01:12:53 - Subscriber letters

01:37:12 - Recommendations 

References

Environment, river activist Manoj Misra passes away at 68

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Check out our previous Hafta recommendations.

Produced and recorded by Tehreem Roshan & Prashant Kumar, edited by Hassan Bilal.