This week, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, and Anand Vardhan are joined by The Caravan’s editor-in-chief Hartosh Singh Bal and investigative journalist Aruna Chandrashekhar.
On the final phase of elections, Hartosh says “it’s baffling” that the voting date in Punjab coincides with the 40th anniversary of Operation Blue Star. He says because of the strong anti-BJP sentiment in Punjab, the state remains a political battleground primarily for the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, despite the “quadrangular fight” after the split between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP.
The conversation then shifts to the issue of natural resource mining in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Odisha. Aruna describes them as “sacrificed zones”, regardless of the governing party. She says that due to the Congress's “neglect”, the locals had turned to the BJP.
On the rise in temperatures in Delhi and other metropolitan cities, Aruna says the environmental crisis has been triggered by urbanisation, reduced green cover, and increased concrete structures. She delves into the mention of environmental issues in the political parties’ manifestos. The panel also discusses the working conditions for labourers in the heatwave.
This and a whole lot more. Tune in!
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Song: Punjabiyan Di Shaan
Timecodes
00: 00:00 - Introduction
00: 07:47 - Headlines
00: 19:02 - Elections in Punjab
00: 25:25 - Voter sentiments in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha
00: 31:49 - Key party battles in Punjab
00: 43:03 - On climate change and soaring heat waves
01: 00:20 - Hartosh’s recommendations
01:04:03 - Aruna’s recommendations
01:21:34 - Podcast letters
01:40:49- Panel recommendations
References
Rohtak BJP MP fled his campaign amid grilling by woman farm leader. What were her questions?
When a Voter Takes the Election Commission to Task for Denying Her Right to Vote
7 reasons why Punjab is an outlier in north Indian politics
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Rohtak BJP MP fled his campaign amid grilling by woman farm leader. What were her questions?
Punjab, unlike other states, has been known to resist a national electoral wave
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Produced and recorded by Aryan Mahtta and Prashant edited by Hassan Bilal.
Newslaundry is a reader-supported, ad-free, independent news outlet based out of New Delhi. Support their journalism, here.
