Parley by The Hindu

In the recent Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party won four States (Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won one (Punjab). There was a premise that this time, particularly in U.P., there was a strong resistance to the BJP’s Kamandal or religious nationalist politics from the Samajwadi Party’s social justice politics or Mandal politics.What actually won the day for the BJP and what, therefore, happens to the idea that Hindu religious politics can be or should be countered by caste identity politics?Guests: Indrajit Roy teaches at the University of York in the U.K. and is the author of ‘Passionate Politics’; Radhika Ramaseshan is a senior journalistHost: Varghese K. GeorgeRead the parley article here

In a bid to isolate Russia, the world has imposed some of the most wide-raging sanctions seen in recent times, as the war in Ukraine enters the eighth day. But why has the international world order failed to prevent the war?Here we discuss the implications of Russia’s war on its neighbouring country and the human cost of the war.Guests: Mohan Kumar, Professor and Dean, Office of International Affairs and Global Initiatives at the O.P. Jindal Global University and former diplomat; Asoke Mukerji, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations from 2013 to 2015 and served in capitals like London and MoscowHost: Suhasini Haidar, The Hindu's National and Diplomatic Affairs EditorRead the parley article here.You can now find ’s podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and StitcherSearch for Parley by The Hindu . Write to us with comments and feedback at The Hindu socmed4@thehindu.co.in

India has added over 10 unicorns (privately held startup companies valued at over a billion dollars) so far this year, which is a rate of nearly one every five days. This comes after a record year of new unicorns (44 in 2021), which pushed India up to the third place globally, after the U.S. and China, in the Hurun Global Unicorn Index 2021. But what exactly does a unicorn valuation mean for the larger economy, and how do these technology-driven startups influence the employment scenario in the country?Here we discuss this question.Guests: P.K. Jayadevan, author and former startup founder; Thillai Rajan, Professor, Department of Management Studies, IIT-M, and co-founder, YNOS Venture EngineHost: P.J. GeorgeRead the parley article here.

After a weeks-long standoff, Russia announced on February 15 that it is pulling back some of its troops from areas close to Ukraine, signalling a possible de-escalation. But at the same time, it has said that its core security concerns, particularly on NATO’s expansionary open-door policy, remain unaddressed. The crisis, has brought the post-Cold War European security architecture into sharp focus, and triggered debates on whether the great power rivalry is back in the continent.Here we discuss the Russia-Ukraine crisis and what it means to the post-Cold War world order.Guests: Nandan Unnikrishnan, Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi; P.S. Raghavan, former Chairman of the National Security Advisory BoardHost: Stanly JohnyRead the Parley article here.

Governor R.N. Ravi returning the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) Bill passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly and the running battle between West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee underline again the problematic role that governors play in Indian politics.Here we discuss this issue.Guests: Gopalkrishna Gandhi, distinguished professor of history and politics, Ashoka University; Shadan Farasat, advocate practising law at the Supreme Court of IndiaHost: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The HinduRead the Parley article here .You can now find The Hindu ’s podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.Search for Parley by The Hindu . Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in

With Omicron becoming the dominant COVID-19 variant in the country, and with its reputation of being a ‘milder’ form of the disease, there is a debate raging on what treatment methodologies are appropriate. Should we adopt a conservative line or an aggressive line to treat Omicron? The responses to SARS-CoV-2 have been changing constantly, whether in the form of treatment or social restrictions.Here we discuss the question and the challenges of responding to an evolving pandemic.Guests: Subramanian Swaminathan , Director, Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Gleneagles Global Hospitals, Chennai; V . Ramasubramanian , Senior Infectious Diseases Consultant, Apollo Hospitals, ChennaiHost: Ramya KannanRead the Parley article here .

With the Union Budget 10 days away, many economic observers are now focused on what support the Centre can offer the economy, which is still struggling to recover from the pandemic. Some analysts believe that the government must keep its spending in check to prevent price rise from getting out of control. Retail inflation is hovering close to 6%, while the wholesale inflation rate is in double digits. Other analysts, however, believe that the current rise in prices is a temporary phenomenon, and that the government must ignore the fiscal deficit and ramp up spending to support the ailing economy.Here we discuss the way forward.Guests: Himanshu , Associate Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University; N.R. Bhanumurthy , Vice-Chancellor of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar School of Economics UniversityHost: Prashanth PerumalRead the Parley article here .

Assembly elections are due in five States: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa. Here we discuss the national implications of these Assembly elections.Guests: Manish Tiwari , Director, Institute for Governance, Policies and Politics, New Delhi; Yamini Aiyar , Chief Executive, Centre for Policy Research, New DelhiHost: Varghese K. GeorgeRead the Parley article here .

In the recent session of Parliament, the government introduced the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, to raise the age of marriage for women from 18 years to 21 years. After Opposition MPs demanded greater scrutiny of the Bill, it was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports. The government says the proposed law will ensure equal chance for women in higher education and access to jobs and help improve maternal mortality rate and nutrition levels.Here we discuss whether the Bill is welcome.Guests: Safia Niaz , co-founder of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan; Mary E. John , former Professor and Acting Director at the Centre for Women’s Development StudiesHost: Jagriti ChandraRead the Parley article here .

It is going to be almost a year since vaccination against COVID-19 was rolled out in India for the adult population. In the midst of this massive drive, there have been numerous challenges including vaccine hesitancy and shortage in supplies. The latest issue is that some States have come up with their own strategies to ensure wider vaccination coverage — such as by making vaccination mandatory for entry into public places and workplaces — even though the Central Government has maintained that vaccination is voluntary.Here we discuss whether vaccination should be made mandatory.Guests: G.R. Ravindranath , the General Secretary of Doctors Association for Social Equality; K. Kolandaswamy , a public health expert and formerly director of the Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Government of Tamil NaduHost: Serena JospehineRead the Parley article here .