Let Me Explain

The unrest in Thiruparankundram during this year’s Karthigai Deepam festival did not emerge overnight. What unfolded on December 3 and 4 was the result of coordinated mobilisation, a controversial court order, and the reopening of a long-sensitive dispute on a shared sacred hill.TNM’s reporter was on the ground documenting how activists from BJP, RSS, Hindu Munnani and other right-wing groups mobilised from across Tamil Nadu. How did this mobilisation happen? What is the controversial court order? Pooja Prasanna explains in this week’s Let Me Explain.Read our ground reports here: https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/ground-report-the-organised-sangh-mobilisation-behind-the-thirupurakundram-unresthttps://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/ayodhya-of-the-south-a-timeline-of-time-immemorialhttps://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/ayodhya-of-the-south-the-sanghs-southern-rehearsalFor suggestions and feedbacks, write to lme@thenewsminute.comLike Pooja’s LME? Support the show: https://rzp.io/rzp/support-lmeIf you are watching from abroad, click this link: https://buy.stripe.com/28o01q9md0OPdtm8wRBecome a TNM subscriber- https://www.thenewsminute.com/subscriptionProduced by Megha Mukundan, Script by Pooja Prasanna, Research by Azeefa Fathima, Reporting by Abhishek Vijayan, Camera by Ajay R, Satish, Edit by Nikhil Sekhar ET, Dharini Prabharan

Why has the BJP struggled to translate its long presence in Kerala into political power? In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna looks at the Sangh Parivar’s decades-long organisational work in the state, the slow rise in BJP’s vote share, and why electoral success has remained limited. From Kerala’s lived secularism and dense social geography to literacy, political culture, and strong rival fronts, we break down what makes Kerala different and why the BJP’s familiar playbook has not worked here.For suggestions and feedbacks, write to lme@thenewsminute.comLike Pooja’s LME? Support the show: https://rzp.io/rzp/support-lmeBecome a TNM subscriber- https://www.thenewsminute.com/subscriptionIf you are watching from abroad, click this link: https://buy.stripe.com/28o01q9md0OPdtm8wRContribute to our reporting fund on shady business of stolen footage: https://pages.razorpay.com/hiddenProducer: Megha MukundanScript: Lakshmi PriyaResearch inputs: Pooja PrasannaCamera: Ajay REditor: Nikhil Sekhar ETGFX: Dharini Prabharan

Nearly half of India’s women factory workers are employed in one state: Tamil Nadu. In this week’s Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna travels to factory floors in the state to understand how women came to power Tamil Nadu’s industrial economy. From electronics and garments to auto components, women form the backbone of manufacturing. This success is shaped by decades of industrial policy, welfare schemes, and investments in education.This episode looks closely at both sides of the story: the opportunities that factory work has created for women, and the deep inequalities that continue to structure their labour. Through ground reports and conversations with workers, union organisers, and economists, we unpack what Tamil Nadu’s model has achieved and what still remains unresolved.For suggestions and feedbacks, write to lme@thenewsminute.comOur journalism needs your support. Subscribe to The News Minute today. Avail our 26% discount offer: https://pages.razorpay.com/GcaZzOyR26Support our series on shady business of stolen footage: https://pages.razorpay.com/hiddenLike LME? Support the show: https://rzp.io/rzp/support-lmeIf you are watching from abroad, click this link: https://buy.stripe.com/28o01q9md0OPdtm8wRProducer: Megha MukundanScript: Lakshmi PriyaCamera: Ajay R, Nithesh Kumar MEditor: Nikhil Sekhar 

Did the RSS hire US lobbyists? Official disclosures in the US list the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as a client of one of America’s biggest lobbying firms. But the RSS denies any involvement. In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna breaks down the filings, the controversy, the firms involved, and what this means for India’s democracy and for India–US relations.For suggestions and feedbacks, write to lme@thenewsminute.comOur journalism needs your support. Subscribe to The News Minute today. Avail our 26% discount offer: https://pages.razorpay.com/GcaZzOyR26Support our series on shady business of stolen footage: https://pages.razorpay.com/hiddenLike LME? Support the show: https://rzp.io/rzp/support-lmeIf you are watching from abroad, click this link: https://buy.stripe.com/28o01q9md0OPdtm8wRProducer: Megha MukundanScript: Lakshmi PriyaResearch: Lakshmi Priya, Maria Teresa RajuCamera: Ajay REditor: Nikhil Sekhar ET

What happens when a government designs welfare with women at the centre?In Karnataka, the five guarantee schemes — Shakti, Gruha Lakshmi, Gruha Jyoti, Anna Bhagya and Yuva Nidhi — have reshaped how women move, work, spend and decide. Two major studies now give us the clearest picture of what changed on the ground. A 151% rise in women’s bus travel. Better spending on food and healthcare. Reduced household stress. New access to work and education.In the 100th episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna travels across Karnataka to understand how intentional welfare has shifted women’s lives and what it means for public policy.Let Me Explain just turned 100! A hundred attempts to cut through noise. A hundred times we asked the questions that needed asking.Stay tuned & support us: https://pages.razorpay.com/support-lmeIf you are watching from abroad, click this link: https://buy.stripe.com/28o01q9md0OPdtm8wRFor suggestions and feedbacks, write to lme@thenewsminute.comBecome a TNM subscriber- https://www.thenewsminute.com/subscriptionProduced by Megha Mukundan, Script by Lakshmi Priya, Camera by Ajay R, Graphics by Dharini Prabharan, Edited by Nikhil Sekhar

For decades, Karnataka’s old Mysuru belt remained out of the BJP’s reach, shaped instead by Vokkaliga-led caste equations and JD(S) dominance. But that’s changing fast. From Maddur’s clashes to the propaganda of fictitious characters Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda, Hindutva politics is entering Karnataka’s heartland.In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna breaks down how the BJP–JD(S) alliance is transforming old Mysuru into a new political and communal battleground, and what it means for Karnataka politics.For suggestions and feedbacks, write to lme@thenewsminute.comLike Pooja’s LME? Support the show: https://rzp.io/rzp/support-lmeBecome a TNM subscriber- https://www.thenewsminute.com/subscriptionIf you are watching from abroad, click this link: https://buy.stripe.com/28o01q9md0OPdtm8wRProduced by Megha Mukundan, Script by Pooja Prasanna, Edited by Nikhil Sekhar ET, graphics by Vignesh Manickam, Camera by Ajay R

VC Sajjanar, the IPS officer who led the 2019 “Disha encounter,” is now Hyderabad’s new Police Commissioner. In this episode of Let Me Explain, @PoojaPrasanna68 looks at what his rise says about India’s dangerous glorification of encounter killings — and how cinema, media, and public adulation have helped turn cops who kill into heroes.From the Warangal acid attack case in 2008 to the Disha case in 2019, Sajjanar has come to symbolise “instant justice.” But when a man accused of extra-judicial killings is rewarded, what does that say about our justice system?This is not just one man’s story. It’s about a country that celebrates vengeance as justice, and the growing impunity of those in uniform.For suggestions and feedbacks write to lme@thenewsminute.comTNM-NL’s Deepavali offer - https://pages.razorpay.com/deepavali25Produced by Megha Mukundan, edited by Nikhil Sekhar ET, script by Lakshmi Priya, research by Anjana Meenakshi, camera by Ajay R

Suresh Gopi — the angry cop on screen, the fiery journalist, the man whose monologues once shook theatres. Now, he’s Kerala’s first BJP MP.In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna unpacks how Suresh Gopi took his mass-hero energy from the movie set to Parliament. From his image as a generous philanthropist who built homes and funded surgeries, to his temper with journalists and theatrics in political life — this is the story of an actor who never really left the screen.Why did Kerala, a state known for its strong secular politics, vote for the BJP? How did Suresh Gopi’s emotional connect and celebrity appeal achieve what decades of political strategy couldn’t? And what happens when the line between reel and real starts to blur?For suggestions and feedbacks write to lme@thenewsminute.comTNM-NL’s Deepavali offer - https://pages.razorpay.com/deepavali25Produced by Megha Mukundan, edited by Nikhil Sekhar ET, script & research by Lakshmi Priya, camera by Ajay R