ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash

Hardeep Singh Puri embodies a unique blend of technocratic expertise and political acumen. Over the course of 39 years as a civil servant, he held diverse roles, including Permanent Representative to the UN and Chair of the UN Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee. In 2014, Hardeep Puri joined the BJP, marking the onset of his political journey. In Sep 2017, he became the Minister with Independent Charge for the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. He also served as the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation in PM Modi's cabinet. Puri presently serves as the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs in PM Modi's Cabinet. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he underscores the pressing need for reform at the United Nations Security Council to better reflect current global realities and combat its 'paralysing' inefficiency. He shares his insights on the relationship between OPEC and consumer nations and doesn't shy away from attributing the deterioration of India-Canada ties to the Trudeau government. Puri also offers a glimpse into his experiences working with a diverse spectrum of Prime Ministers, from Rajeev Gandhi to Narasimha Rao to Narendra Modi. He sheds light on the progress of the Smart Cities Mission, initiated by the central government in 2015, and candidly assesses the opposition alliance 'India' dubbing it the 'Ghamandiya Alliance' and asserting their limitations in effectively addressing national issues.

Kalvakuntla Kavitha is a member of the Legislative Council from Nizamabad and the daughter of Telangana's Chief Minister, K. Chandrashekar Rao. Before returning to India, she worked as a software engineer in the USA. Her political journey began when she joined her father's movement for a separate state of Telangana. From 2014 to 2019, she served as the first woman parliamentarian from Telangana, representing the Nizamabad constituency. In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Kavitha discusses how women's reservation law will open new opportunities and doors for women in the field of politics. She also addresses the Delhi excise policy case in which she faces scrutiny from the Enforcement Directorate. She alleges that Central agencies are being 'misused' by the Centre to suppress the voices of the opposition. Furthermore, she comments on the remarks made by the Prime Minister, in which he claimed that K. Chandrashekar Rao wanted to join the NDA in 2020. Kavitha expresses her strong support for Sanatana Dharma and argues that anti-Sanatana remarks will not be constructive. Kavitha also shares insights into her life in the USA before entering politics and discusses the impact of being a politician on her children.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is a minister in PM Modi's cabinet currently heading the department of Jal Shakti. He is a two-time parliamentarian representing Jodhpur constituency in the Lok Sabha. Shekhawat, like many other BJP leaders, started his political journey as a karyakarta of Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad during his student days and was elected as student union president at JNVU University, but he formally joined BJP in 2014 and went on to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Jodhpur which he won by a record margin of over 4 lakh votes. In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he talks about the upcoming Rajasthan polls and doesn't mince words, putting the blame on Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot for making the state a corruption hotspot. He also takes the Rajasthan government head in over the deterioration of law and order in the state and the government's failure in stopping crime against women. He argues that the people of Rajasthan have paid the price of 'infighting' between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot. Many in political circles term him as the dark horse in Rajasthan politics as the BJP hasn't announced a CM candidate for the polls. Shekhawat also talks about the Red Diary incident which stirred up political drama in Rajasthan. Shekhawat also hails the Namami Gange mission as a success and underlines the mission's positive impact on cleaning Ganga. He also countered Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's claims blaming the Haryana government for opening the Hathnikund Barrage as the national capital battled floods.

Tensions between Israel and Palestine continue to escalate with the conflict entering its sixth day, which started after militants from the Hamas group infiltrated southern towns of Israel last Saturday. The terrorists, which came on motorcycles, SUVs and paragliders, have claimed over 1500 lives and taken hundreds of hostages whose fate remains uncertain. While Israel is committed to ending Hamas once for all and is getting international support from superpowers like the US and the UK among others, the Palestinian cause is also getting support from countries like Iran, Lebanon, Turkey and Pakistan. To decode all aspects of the conflict, we bring you a special episode of ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, wherein security experts Lt. Gen. Raj Shukla (Retd.) former GOC of Army Training command who is also an expert on counter-insurgency operations, along with former commanding officer of TSD, Indian Army Col. Hunny Bakshi deciphers the unprecedented and surprise attack by Hamas on Israel. Watch or listen in to this edition of ANI podcast with Smita Prakash, to understand how these new developments will affect geopolitics and what it means for Netanyahu, who was called Mr Security. The distinguished guest panel talks about the reasons behind the intel failure by the so-called invincible Mossad and what will be the next step for the Israelis who have been fighting this unending war for around five decades now.

Akshay Kumar is an actor and producer with a career spanning over 150 films who also has two national awards to his name. He has also been awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009 for his contribution to the field of arts. He is affectionately known as the 'Khiladi Kumar' of Bollywood due to his fearless portrayal of action-packed roles, often performing his stunts without the use of body doubles. He is a trained martial artist who started his career as a stuntperson in Bollywood. In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he talks about his admiration for films that convey meaningful social messages and stories of individuals who have made a difference through their acts. He also talks about his latest movie Mission Raniganj, which has hit theatres and is based on the rescue of miners by an engineer from an underground mine situated in eastern India. The Airlift actor also explains about his fitness regime and his strong belief in Hinduism. He also talks about the recent controversy over a new advertisement for a tobacco product brand and opens up on the controversy surrounding his Canadian citizenship.

Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria (Retd.) is the former Chief of Air Staff and is a decorated officer with a career spanning over four decades. He also served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC) at Southern Air Command. He is the man who spearheaded the Rafale negotiations during his tenure as vice chief of the Air Staff. In his four-decade career, Bhadauria has the distinction of logging more than 4,250 flight hours across 26 different types of fighter jets and transport aircraft. In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he shares insights on India's Balakot strike against Pakistan following the Pulwama attack. He applauds the political will that led to action against terrorists. He talks about the importance of the Rafale's induction into the Indian Air Force and terms it a game-changer for the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces and also talks about expediting indigenous aircraft production. Bhadauria also shares details on the escalation in the Indo-China border post Galwan clash and how the Indian Air Force's deployment acted as a deterrent to China's intentions.

Om Prakash Rawat is a former Chief election commissioner and an IAS officer of the 1977 batch of Madhya Pradesh cadre. He served in Madhya Pradesh as well as at the Centre in various capacities before moving to Election commission in 2015 as an election commissioner and went in to become 22nd Chief Election in 2018 during which he supervised nine state assembly elections took place. In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Rawat talks about challenges faced by the Election Commission in conducting free and fair elections across the nation. He also talks about the why EVMs cannot be used in local body polls and risks attached to it and the controversy around EVMs and VVPAT. He also talks about the dark side of elections and the intricate money and muscle power which is used in elections and how AI and social media is going to emerge as a bigger challenge for poll body in future.

Jyotiraditya Scindia is a third generation politician currently serving as Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel in PM Modi’s cabinet since 2021. He is a member of the upper house of parliament from his home state of Madhya Pradesh and has also represented Guna parliamentary constituency in Lok Sabha for more than 17 years. Scindia is an economics graduate from Harvard University and has an MBA from Stanford University. Prior to entering politics, Jyotiraditya also worked with Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch as an investment banker. He is also a cricket enthusiast and has served as president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association. In this edition of ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Scindia talks about how he joined mainstream politics after the sudden demise of his father Madhav Rao Scindia in 2002. He also recollects his memories of his grandmother Vijaya Raje Scindia, who was one of the founding members of Jan Sangh. He also talks about his relationship with the Gandhi family and reveals reasons why he left Congress to join the BJP. Scindia also talks about the INDIA alliance and terms it as a group of political entities who want to serve their own interests instead of serving the people. He also talked about initiatives taken by the civil aviation ministry and exuded confidence that the BJP will win the upcoming state elections in Madhya Pradesh.

Embark on an exhilarating journey of ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash as we present to you the 'Best of 100' episodes. Brace yourself for riveting conversations with eminent personalities from various spheres of life, delving into topics that resonate with you and society as a whole. This podcast takes you through thought-provoking discussions with influential voices from the realms of politics, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. With this episode, 'Best of 100', we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to all our amazing listeners, viewers, and subscribers who have made this podcast a success. Watch out for more mind-blowing episodes that shed light on crucial subjects. We promise to keep you hooked with our captivating content. So, don't miss out! Keep watching, keep listening, and join us on this incredible journey of ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash.

Nambi Narayanan is an Indian aerospace scientist who worked for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and headed the cryogenic engine development project at ISRO. Narayanan is also a recipient of Padma Bhushan, for his contribution to space technology. Nambi is also credited for the making of the VIKAS engine, which is a liquid fuelled rocket engine and continues to power most of the space launch missions, including the Chandrayaan-3. Narayanan has lived an extraordinary life and, from being regarded as one of the best brains in space technology to being labelled as a traitor and accused of espionage charges, he has lived an extraordinary life which has been depicted in the 2022 movie ‘Rocketry’, which is a biopic, on him. In this edition of ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Nambi talks about his association with the likes of Vikram Sarabhai, APJ Abdul Kalam and Professor Sathish Dhawan. He also talks about how the lack of funds derailed the Indian space program in the 1970s and 80s. He also draws a connection between fake cases against him and a geopolitical conspiracy to delay India’s aspirations in space. He also talks about his family and how it changed them during trial and tribulations and much more.