Parley by The Hindu

On December 29, 2024, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused each other of manipulating the Delhi electoral rolls in an attempt to win the Delhi Assembly elections, scheduled to be held in February. While the AAP has accused the BJP of submitting applications to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to get the names of voters removed from the list in its strongholds, the BJP has claimed that the AAP government is aiding Rohingya immigrants to settle in the capital so that it can secure their votes. Earlier, the Congress had accused the ECI of arbitrarily deleting or adding voters’ names in electoral rolls before the Maharashtra Assembly elections.Should voter IDs be linked to Aadhaar to ensure transparency and put all these political claims and counterclaims to rest? Here we discuss the question.Guests: S.Y. Quraishi, former Chief Election Commissioner of India; R.S. Sharma, former Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and the first Director General of the Unique Identification Authority of IndiaHost: Sreeparna ChakrabartyEdited by Jude Francis Weston

At a recent panel discussion in New Delhi, French economist Thomas Piketty suggested that a wealth and inheritance tax be imposed on the super-rich in India, which, in turn, could fund health and education. India’s Chief Economic Advisor, Anantha Nageswaran, opposed the idea, arguing that higher taxes could encourage fund outflows.Should the wealth tax be brought back to address inequality in India? Here we discuss the question.Guests: Ajay Shah, Senior Research Fellow and Co-founder Xkdr Forum; Rahul Menon, Associate professor at the Jindal School of Government and Public PolicyHost: Samreen WaniYou 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

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 17, 2024, mandates a fixed five-year term for the Lok Sabha, with State Legislature elections aligned to this cycle. If the Lok Sabha or any State Assembly is dissolved before completing its full term, mid-term elections will be held only for the remainder of the five-year term.Should legislatures in India have fixed tenures? Here we discuss the question.Guests: P.D.T. Achary, Former Secretary General of the Lok Sabha; M.R. Madhavan, Co-founder and president of the PRS Legislative ResearchHost: Aaratrika BhaumikEdited by Jude Francis Weston

United States President Joe Biden’s recent decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden for any federal crimes he committed or may have committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024 has brought renewed focus on the expansive clemency powers granted to the President by the U.S. Constitution. The President’s volte-face has provoked strong condemnation from both Republicans and Democrats.Should the executive possess clemency powers? Here we discuss the question.Guests: Sanjay Hedge, Senior advocate based in Delhi; Alok Prasanna Kumar, Co-founder and Karnataka lead of Vidhi Centre for Legal PolicyHost: Aaratrika BhaumikEdited by Jude Francis Weston

Nearly 400 days since the October 7 attacks on Israel that led to the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, West Bank, and Lebanon, more than 43,000 have been killed, mostly civilians. Despite calls by the United Nations (UN) for urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis; an International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict on the risk of genocide being perpetrated in Palestine; and warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif for alleged war crimes, there seems no let-up in the violence.Is Israel’s war in Gaza putting the global order at peril? Here we discuss the question.Guests: Navtej Sarna, served as India’s envoy to the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom; Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute in Washington, and author of books on Iran-U.S. relationsHost: Suhasini HaidarEdited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

On November 23, the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance won a landslide victory in Maharashtra Assembly elections. Among several reasons cited for this victory are the implementation of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana — a direct benefit transfer programme introduced by the Maharashtra government in July 2024 – four months ahead of the polls. The scheme, much like its Madhya Pradesh counterpart, which was also introduced ahead of the Assembly elections there, aims to provide monthly financial assistance of ₹1,500 to poor women between the ages of 21 and 65 whose incomes are less than ₹2.5 lakh annually.Critics say such schemes amount to bribing voters and giving the incumbent government an unfair advantage. Here we discuss the issue. Guests: Reetika Khera, a development economist working on social policy in India and a professor of economics at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi; Vikas Rawal, Professor, Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityHost: Kunal ShankarEdited by Jude Francis Weston

The U.K.’s The Guardian newspaper announced earlier this month that it will no longer be posting on X, claiming that it is “a toxic media platform” and that its owner, Elon Musk, “has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse.”Is social media a useful tool or is it becoming a threat to democratic societies? Here we discuss the questionGuests: Alan Rusbridger, Editor of Prospect Magazine, former editor-in-chief of The Guardian and a member of Meta’s Oversight Board, which makes content and policy recommendations for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads; Pratik Sinha, co-founder and editor of AltNews, a fact-checking websiteHost: Priscilla Jebaraj

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu recently expressed concern about Andhra Pradesh’s ageing population and urged the people of his State to have more children. Days later, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin attended a mass wedding event in Chennai. He said that the Census and delimitation process may encourage couples to give up thoughts of having a small family.Are pro-natalist policies the best way of addressing the ageing population problem? Here we discuss the issue.Guests: Gita Sen, Honorary Senior Advisor and Distinguished Professor, Public Health Foundation of India; Udaya Shankar Mishra, Honorary Professor, International Institute for Migration Development, ThiruvananthapuramHost: Jagriti ChandraEdited by Jude Francis Weston

India won a historic double gold at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, by clinching the top spot in both the open event and women’s team competitions. These victories will forever remain among India’s greatest achievements in sport. Chess enjoys huge popularity across the world. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) considers chess as a sport and recognises the International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation (FIDE) as an official federation. Yet, chess is not yet an Olympic sport.Should chess be an Olympic sport? Here we discuss the issue.Guests: Viswanathan Anand, five-time world champion and deputy president, FIDE; Pravin Thipsay, Grandmaster and coachHost: P.K. Ajith KumarEdited by Jude Francis Weston

The Congress’ social justice platform, centred around the call for equal representation at the caste-level and a nationwide caste census, has been hailed after the Lok Sabha elections this year. But within four months of the general election results, the results of the Haryana Assembly polls have raised questions about how well this messaging has percolated to the lower rungs of the party organisation.Has the Congress internalised its message of social justice? Here we discuss the question.Guests: Sudha Pai, Retired Professor, Centre for Political Studies, JNU; Aditi Narayani Paswan, Assistant Professor Lakshmibai College, University of DelhiHost: Abhinay LakshmanEdited by Jude Francis Weston