NL Hafta

Aakar talks about his new book, Price of the Modi Years, and highlights anti-Muslim laws that were introduced by the Modi government. “We have taken this country to a very dark place which I don’t think we can ever come out of,” he says. Jayashree points out different ways in which the government targets minorities, saying, “This is a way of calling out a particular community without naming them.”On the repeal of the farm laws, Raman says there were “clear indications” that it would happen. He adds, “The media amplified this rollback to glorify Modi, whereas he just stated that the farmers failed to understand his perspective in the laws.” Aakar says, “When you pass a bill that is against the public, and the public retaliates with resistance, then it’s habitual of this government to take it all back, whether publicly or not.”RecommendationsAakarGreat Singers on Great SingingRaman‘No benefit, too late’: For many farmers in North Delhi, AAP bio-decomposer drive makes ‘no difference’JayashreeThe Gone WorldThe Unlikely MurdererAnandHow the government lost farm reforms to rich farmersThe farmers’ protest, truths and half-truthsManishaSuccessionFarm laws: Sikhs being targeted by fake social media profilesTo listen to the full episode, subscribe to Newslaundry.

This week on NL Hafta, Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal and Manisha Pande are joined by Sujit Nair, co-founder and managing editor of HW News, and independent journalist Sandhya Ravishankar.Sandhya talks about floods in Tamil Nadu, and how infrastructural developments led to the issue in Chennai city. The conversation shifts to pollution in the capital and other Indian cities, and the harm it causes. “It’s not just Diwali and stubble burning,” Manisha says. “It’s more than that.”To listen to the full episode, subscribe to Newslaundry.

This week on NL Hafta, Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal and Manisha Pande are joined by Subir Bhaumik, former correspondent with BBC and Reuters, and Vivek Kaul, journalist and economics commentator.Starting with the violence in Tripura, Subir offers some background and explains the roles of social media and the state police. “Tripura’s clashes have never been communal,” he says. “It’s the regional differences that initiate such issues. But this time, it’s clearly Hindu-Muslim...Fake news and misinformation is the core reason of any such riot in Tripura.”To listen to the full episode, subscribe to Newslaundry.

This week on NL Hafta, Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal and Jayashree Arunachalam are joined by Harjeet Singh, senior advisor for Climate Action Network International, and Lou Del Bello, climate and energy journalist.During a discussion on the ongoing COP26 summit, Abhinandan points out Barbados PM Mia Mottley’s speech and takes a dig at issues linked to climate finance. “Rich countries don’t want to give up that money, which is not aid or favour but an obligation because they are the ones who caused the crisis,” Harjeet says.To listen to the full episode, subscribe to Newslaundry.In keeping with the festive spirit, we’re offering you free, giftable Newslaundry subscriptions along with every Diwali hamper you buy from us. We have some new products in our hampers like a Diwali special candle, fridge magnets, and the Naxalbari comic. Get your festive hamper here.

This week on NL Hafta, Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal and Manisha Pande are joined by Sudhir Suryawanshi, assistant editor at the New Indian Express.Sudhir takes the panel through the “drug bust” on the cruise ship in Mumbai and how the Narcotics Control Bureau works.He also explains how the Aryan Khan case has “drawn the line between how things work and how they are preferably ignored with the help of power”.To listen to the full episode, subscribe to Newslaundry.

This week on NL Hafta, Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal and Jayashree Arunachalam are joined by historian S Irfan Habib.In the context of Fabindia’s ad campaign “Jashn-e-Riwaz”, which the company withdrew after backlash, Irfan points out that Urdu is not a religious language. “This whole association of language with religion is a political agenda,” he says. He also explains how languages survive when they’re “linked with bread and butter”. To listen to the full episode, subscribe to Newslaundry.