In Focus by The Hindu

A 73-member Union Council of Ministers led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath on the 9th of June. A vast majority of BJP ministers have been retained even as about half a dozen Cabinet slots have been given to allied parties in the NDA government, the first since 2014 where the BJP doesn’t have a majority of its own. So, what kind of government are we looking at? Will the BJP’s divisive plans of one nation, one election, a Uniform Civil Code or taking over mosques in Varanasi and Mathura be jettisoned? Or will the anti-Muslim speeches delivered by Prime Minister Modi during the election campaign be taken as the governing philosophy of the NDA government? Interestingly, not a single Muslim has found space in the 70-plus Council of Ministers. Joining us to delve into these questions is author and journalist Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, an expert in BJP and Modi's politics.Guest: Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, political journalist and author. Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu. Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Barely a month after Israel rejected a three-phase peace plan brokered by Egypt and Qatar, President Joe Biden has announced another version of a three-phase peace plan. He has put himself on the line by publicly claiming that it is Israel that has come up with this proposal. But Israeli leaders are yet to own up to this plan, and keep repeating the old line that they will not accept any eventuality that leaves Hamas in power in Gaza.But the US has been circulating a draft resolution among the UN Security Council members asking them to support this ceasefire proposal. What prompted President Biden to publicise this plan? What does it propose? And how likely is Israel to accept it?Guest: Stanly Johny, The Hindu’s International Affairs Editor.Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu. Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A lot has already been said and written about the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. But a lot more remains to be unpacked.While the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has secured a majority, its biggest constituent, the BJP itself, has fallen short of the 272 mark by 32 seats. Is there a message in this mandate? Or is the outcome an effect of several factors and concerns?Also, what went wrong for the BJP, whose performance has fallen way below its own projected expectations? What went right for the INDIA alliance? And does this verdict mark the beginning of a new coalition era in Indian politics?Guest: Rahul Verma, political analyst from the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi.Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the forum through which the 194 member-states of the World Health Organisation (WHO) discuss and decide on policy matters.Every year, the WHA meets for a week in May. This year’s session, the 77th World Health Assembly, started May 27 and will conclude on June 1. There is a lot of interest in the WHA negotiations this year as the agenda items include an ambitious Pandemic Agreement, and amendments to the International Health Regulations.What progress has been made in the negotiations this year? What role can the World Health Assembly play in democratising the policy-setting space at the WHO? And where does the WHA figure in the WHO’s evolving funding scenario where it has to juggle the pressures from Big Pharma while staying true to its core mission of health equity and social justice?Guest: Professor T Sundararaman, a public health expert, who has served as Executive Director of National Health Systems Resource Centre and as Dean and Professor at the School of Health Systems Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai.Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has put out a draft Digital Competition Bill to regulate anti-competitive practices in the digital space. The Bill has provisions for identifying Systemically Significant Digital Enterprises (SSDEs) – basically large digital platforms. These would then be subject to certain restrictions aimed at preventing anti-competitive conduct. For instance, they would be forbidden from practices such as self-preferencing, anti-steering, etc.While the Bill seems well-intentioned, various stakeholders have expressed concerns that it is far too invasive and could stifle innovation, undermine the interests of Indian tech companies, including MSMEs, and make consumers more vulnerable to cyber fraud.Are these concerns valid? What has been the experience with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), on which this Bill seems modelled? And what changes are needed to allay the concerns raised so far?G. Sampath is joined by Meghna Bal, Director, Esya Centre, New Delhi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Israel has continued air strikes in and around Rafah’s humanitarian zone in Gaza killing at least 65 Palestinian civilians since the 25th of May in the face of stringent international condemnation.The air strikes came after the International Court of Justice directed Israel on the 24th of May to stop its offensive in Rafah, an area supposed to be a safe zone for those displaced by an earlier Israeli offensive.The ICJ also directed that Israel must take effective measures to enable any UN-backed commission of inquiry to enter Gaza and inquire into genocide allegations.Putting more pressure on Israel, Ireland, Spain and Norway recognised Palestine as a state, something that India did back in 1988.So, will the ICJ ruling make any difference to Israel given that it has continued attacks on civilians? Does the condemnation from countries in the region matter at all till the United States gives a free pass to Israel? Will the European Union finally adopt a more independent posture when it comes to dealing with Israeli aggression?Guest: Syed Akbaruddin, formerly India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu.Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The French Open will kick off on Sunday in Paris. This would be the last time the tournament will host 14-time champion Rafael Nadal. The ‘King of Clay’ has been struggling with injuries, and as this is his last year on tour, he would be hoping to make a deep run in the major where he’s tasted the greatest success.But there are a lot of younger players standing in his way, including the in-form German Alexander Zverev in Round 1. Also hungry for a title is world no. 1 Novak Djokovic, who would be keen to make amends for a lacklustre year so far. On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek will start as a firm favourite, with none of the big names looking likely to cause her major trouble.There will also be, after a long gap, an Indian challenger in the main draw, in the form of Sumit Nagal.How many rounds can Nagal, and Nadal, go? Is there a chance for one last Nadal-Djokovic final this time? And what are India’s chances in the doubles, where Australian Open champion Rohan Bopanna will be in action?Guest: N. Sudarshan from The Hindu’s Sports Bureau.Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The untimely death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on the 19th of May has many implications not just for Iran but the region as a whole. Along with him, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also perished in the crash.As Iran goes to the polls on the 28th of June to elect a new President, all eyes will be on the country’s Guardian Council that has the power to decide which candidates get to contest. There is also speculation in the Western press about who might replace Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei.So, what is Raisi’s legacy on the domestic and international front? How will Iran deal with the many challenges that it faces in the region especially as it claims to be a bulwark against Israeli aggressionin Gaza? Will Raisi’s tango with Russia and China as well as an opening to Saudi Arabia hold his successors in good stead?Guest: Dinkar Srivastava, former Indian Foreign Service officer, who worked as India’s Ambassador to Iran.Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu.Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chinese President Xi Jinping last week hosted a reception for Vladimir Putin at the historic Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The two-day summit was marked by a lengthy joint statement that, among other things, said that China and Russia will promote “an equal and orderly multipolar world”. The statement also outlined a vision of a new world order with “no neo-colonialism and hegemonism” of any kind.The two countries took aim at the US, criticising unilateral sanctions and what they termed ‘long-arm jurisdiction’ without basis in international law or UN Security Council authorisation. The statement also highlighted the expansion of Russia-China ties beyond “opportunistic” bilateral cooperation to one of deeper partnership.What are the implications of this growing strategic convergence between two major powers, both of whom are veto-holding Security Council members? Can China balance Western concerns about its aid to Russia, especially dual-use technology? What are the implications of this friendship for India, which views China as a geopolitical rival and military threat, but is highly dependent on Russia for defence imports?G. Sampath is joined by Jabin T Jacob, Associate Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Shiv Nadar University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Covid-19 may not be raging any more, but a controversy over the AstraZeneca vaccine, sold as Covishield in India is. The issue first erupted when AstraZeneca, in a submission to a court in the UK, acknowledged that its vaccine could cause a rare, potentially life-threatening condition, known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome or TTS. This led to everything from outrage on social media, to political parties issuing statements and to a host of misinformation being circulated. What is significant is that this information about TTS is not new – it was established as early as in 2021, when India’s vaccination programme was underway, and it has been a known fact now for well over three years. Just a short time after the court submission made headlines, AstraZeneca also announced the worldwide withdrawal of its vaccine, citing a decline in the demand. As of this year, India has administered over 1.5 billion doses of Covishield to its eligible population. What led to the furore over the vaccine’s rare side effect and what do we know about it? How robust is India’s system to monitor adverse events arising from vaccinations? And what happens to India’s vaccination programme if Covishield is no longer available – are there other options available for those who need them or for future immunisations? Guest: Dr Anurag Agrawal, Dean, BioSciences and Health Research, Trivedi School of Biosciences at Ashoka University Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices