NL Hafta

On this week’s episode, along with the regular Hafta gang of Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Anand Vardhan and Raman Kirpal, we’re joined by Sayani Dasgupta from New York who has been a Newslaundry subscriber for the past two years. The panel kicks off by discussing MJ Akbar’s resignation and his defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani. Sayani tells us how #MeToo has not reached industries which are not media-driven. Anand and Manisha believe there could be a backlash to this movement once the euphoria settles down. But on the positive side, it’s started a conversation and has brought men to behave. On Sabarimala, Raman tells us how the state government of Kerala has failed to maintain the law and order situation and has instead allowed a clear violation of the Supreme Court order. The panel also discusses female reporters being attacked and how it might affect the future of female reporters being sent to conflict zones. Moving on, the Hafta gang discusses whether it’s really a big deal to rename Allahabad to Prayagraj. Anand tells us the history of renaming cities and how it’s a part of appeasement politics. The team also talks about the recent drama at Hyatt Regency in Delhi. Raman and Anand tell us more on the normalised VIP culture and muscle show in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Listen up! There’s more.