Hafta 526: Elon Musk’s DOGE, Tamil Nadu-Centre clash over three-language formula

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Mar 1, 2025

Nitin Pai, co-founder of the Takshashila Institution, discusses the controversial creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Elon Musk, arguing its ideological underpinnings and the dismissal of federal employees. Shabbir Ahmed sheds light on the clash between Tamil Nadu and the central government over the contentious three-language formula, emphasizing concerns about the preservation of local languages against federal impositions. Both guests explore how governance complexity affects regional identities and public policy.

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ANECDOTE

DOGE's Dubious Savings

Elon Musk's DOGE claims to have saved billions, but figures are disputed.
Conflicting data and embarrassing incidents raise questions about real impact.

INSIGHT

Government vs. Business

Governments are not meant to be run like businesses.
Fairness, accountability, and transparency take precedence over fiscal efficiency.

ANECDOTE

Musk's Infallibility Claims

Elon Musk's behavior reflects poorly on autistic people, claims Shardul.
Shardul criticizes Musk's claims of infallibility, highlighting his inconsistent statements.

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This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Shardool Katyayan are joined by Nitin Pai, director of Takshashila Institution, and The News Minute’s Shabbir Ahmed.

The panel first discusses the inception and functioning of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – a new department set up by the United States government and headed by tech billionaire Elon Musk.

Nitin says the reason behind something like DOGE “is not just efficiency.” “The ideological reason is to create a government full of people who will act according to the rules of Donald Trump,” he says, adding that federal government employees were laid off en-masse to create fear and uncertainty in the minds of rank and file civil servants.

On the importance of “small governments,” Shardool says that any system meant to be working fairly working for citizens will be complex. “Mandates given to governments are not for them to run in a fiscally efficient manner, but to run fairly and independently,” he adds.

Jayashree then delves into the ongoing “language wars” between the Tamil Nadu government and the union government over the National Education Policy’s three-language formula. “The implication that Hindi means the extermination of a local language is true,” she says.

Shabbir adds that the union government demands the NEP to be accepted in its entirety: “The problem the TN government has is that NEP is a uniform policy on education, but education is in the concurrent list. States were not consulted before forming it.”

This and a lot more. Tune in!

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Timecodes

00:00:00 – Introductions and announcements

00:04:01 – Headlines

00:11:23 – DOGE

00:54:49 – Language row: Tamil Nadu vs Centre

01:28:20 – Letters

01:48:40 – Recommendations

Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters

Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand.

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