In this week’s episode, host Abhinandan Sekhri is joined by Madhu Trehan, Anand Vardhan, Raman Kirpal and journalist and author Vivek Kaul.
The podcast kicks off with a discussion on the 2019 Cricket World Cup and Team India’s loss in the semi-finals. According to Anand, “it was a bubble waiting to burst”. The panel talks about their personal reactions and the country’s response to the loss. Abhinandan says: “I felt really bad because I really like Dhoni.”
Discussing the crisis in the Congress in both Goa and Karnataka, Abhinandan comments, “It’s collapsing everywhere, kuch toh sharam karlo.” Raman notes that there’s a “churning” going on within the party. They talk about the lack of leadership in the Congress and its consequences, as well as the history and legacy of the anti-defection law.
Moving to the 2019 Union Budget, Vivek feels it was “much ado about nothing”. He notes the Budget’s lack of numbers and any detail on revenue and expenditure as well as other problems. The discussion shifts to the nature of business and the black economy in India.
Next up is the installation of CCTV cameras in Delhi schools and the concerns raised by the public regarding privacy and surveillance. Anand says he “does not believe in privacy as an absolute right” while Madhu feels this move is absolutely all right. The panel also discusses the flying banner over the India-New Zealand match in England and the privatisation of railways in India.
For this and much more, tune in!
A review of NL Hafta by Edgar, Manjari, Sania and Nikhil
References
Women’s Soccer Sues For Equal Pay
Why Modi cancelled on Candidates 2014 and other amazing facts.
Anti-defection law didn’t end the aya ram, gaya ram tradition
How ₹1.7 trillion has gone missing from govt’s budget
Restart: The Last Chance for the Indian Economy- Mihir Sharma
INS urges govt to withdraw 10% customs duty on newsprint
Recommendations
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No country for kids to go out and play
Anand
Sunny Days: Sunil Gavaskar’s Own Story
Abhinandan
Planet Money Episode 924: Stuck In China’s Panopticon
Produced by Kartik Nijhawan, recorded by Anil Kumar and edited by Satish Kumar.
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