3 Things

First, we are joined by Indian Express' Santosh Singh and Vikas Pathak who break down Nitish Kumar's return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.Second, we talk about a 27-year-old model named Divya Pahuja, who was shot dead at a hotel in Gurugram. Indian Express' Aiswarya Raj joins us to share the details of the case.Lastly, we talk about how the suspension of 11 Rajya Sabha MPs was revoked in light of the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament.Hosted by Rahel PhiliposeWritten and Produced by Rahel Philipose, Shashank Bhargava and Niharika NandaEdited and Mixed by Suresh Pawar

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 30th of January and here are the headlines.Floor leaders of various parties attended an all-party meeting today convened by the government ahead of the Budget session of Parliament. The suspension of 11 Rajya Sabha MPs, who were suspended during the Winter Session of Parliament was revoked. During the meet, the Centre assured the leaders of various political parties that they were ready to discuss every issue.The BJP’s Manoj Sonkar was declared the Mayor of Chandigarh today after he won the mayoral polls. He won with 16 votes against the 12 votes bagged by the Congress-AAP candidate Kuldeep Tita. Eight votes were declared invalid, which led Opposition leaders to raise allegations of rigging. The polls are considered significant as it is the maiden electoral test of the Opposition’s INDIA alliance against the BJP and also saw the first alliance between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress.In a rare verdict, an additional district sessions court in Kerala’s Alappuzha district awarded the death sentence today to 15 people linked to the PFI-SDPI in the murder of BJP leader Ranjith Sreenivasan in 2021. The BJP OBC Morcha state secretary Ranjith, was hacked to death in front of his wife, mother and minor daughter in Alappuzha town on 19th of December 2021. The murder happened hours after SDPI state secretary K S Shan was killed in Alappuzha by a gang allegedly belonging to RSS-BJP on the night of 18th of December.With opposition BJP claiming Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was “missing”, the latter was seen at his residence, where MLAs of the ruling coalition gathered for a meeting. Soren wrote an email to the ED today, agreeing to record his statement before the agency tomorrow at 1 pm at his residence. He termed the agency’s insistence on recording a statement on or before 31st of January as “politically motivated”.The Navy today said that it has rescued a crew of 19 Pakistani nationals from 11 Somali pirates in a successful operation on the hijacked fishing vessel Al Naeemi. The Navy’s INS Sumitra carried out the anti-piracy operation – the second in the last 36 hours – off the east coast of Somalia. On 29th of January, the same warship had thwarted a piracy attempt on the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel FV Iman, ensuring the safe release of the 17 crew members.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

India plans to host the 2036 Olympics with a 6000 cr master plan. PM Modi's Suryodaya Yojana aims to install rooftop solar systems on 10 million houses. New fitness guidelines in the Indian Army include consequences for failing fitness standards.

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 29th of January and here are the headlines.The Election Commission today announced that elections for 56 Rajya Sabha seats from 15 states will be held on 27th of February 27. The terms of the 56 MPs in question are set to end on 2nd and 3rd of April. The elections will cover seats in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and Rajasthan. Among the MPs whose terms are ending are Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, former prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, BJP president JP Nadda, and Samajwadi Party MP, actor Jaya Bachchan.Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami today said that a draft for a Uniform Civil Code prespred by an expert committee would submit it on 2nd of February. He added that the government would thereafter introduce a Bill in the Assembly to implement the UCC. The report is learnt to have emphasised gender equality and equal rights for daughters in ancestral properties. It does not, however, suggest raising the marriageable age of women to 21 years.As per a Finance Ministry report, the Indian economy is likely to grow at over 7 per cent in the coming years. The report titled ‘The Indian economy — A review’ said India is expected to become the third-largest economy in the world in the next three years, with a GDP of $5 trillion. This would be driven by domestic demand along with supply-side measures such as investment in infrastructure and measures to boost manufacturing.An 18-year-old girl died by suicide in Rajasthan’s Kota early today, leaving behind a note saying that she is taking this extreme step as a last resort. As per reports, the teenager was preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination. The police said she was tense about the exam and hence took this step. This is the second death by suicide in Kota this year. Last year, about 30 students died by suicide in the city.A 25-year-old Indian student who recently earned an MBA degree in the US was hammered to death by a homeless drug addict whom he had been helping for the past couple of days in Georgia. The incident was caught on camera when assailant Julian Faulkner mercilessly struck Vivek Saini nearly 50 times on the head with a hammer. Saini, a part-time clerk at a store that sheltered Faulkner, had shown kindness to the accused for almost two days and provided him with chips, a coke, water, and even a jacket for warmth.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

Indian Express’ journalists Asad Rehman and Apurva Vishwanath join the podcast to discuss the recent ASI report on the Gyanvapi Mosque case. They explore the historical context, detailed findings of the report, reactions from the litigants, political implications, arguments from the Ayodhya case, and the Supreme Court's involvement in determining the validity of the case.

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain, extending warm wishes to our listeners on the occasion of India's 75th Republic Day today.It’s the 26th of January and and here are the top stories of this week.Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony at the Ayodhya Ram Temple on Monday. The sculpted Ram Lalla idol, crafted by Arun Yogiraj, was unveiled during the ceremony. Over 8,000 invitees attended the event, including prominent celebrities such as actors, sportspersons, industrialists, etc. Ayodhya witnessed a massive influx of devotees, that resulted in a stampede-like situation, a day after the consecration of the temple.Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh’s car was allegedly attacked and media persons accompanying the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra “manhandled” by miscreants in Assam’s Sonitpur on Sunday. Meanwhile the Assam Police registered an FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders on Tuesday after a scuffle broke out between people taking part in the Yatra and the local cops when the yatra tried to enter Guwahati city that day. This week, the yatra reached West Bengal.In a jolt to the INDIA bloc ahead of Lok Sabha elections, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday announced that the Aam Aadmi Party will not stitch up an alliance with Congress in the state. Mann’s declaration came as Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said the TMC is not in any discussion with the Congress, and that her party would contest by itself in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the state.President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Bharat Ratna posthumously to two-time Bihar chief minister and socialist icon Karpoori Thakur on Tuesday. Often remembered as the “voice of the oppressed and the downtrodden”, Thakur served as the chief minister of Bihar from December 1970 to June 1971 and from December 1977 to April 1979. Also called ‘jannayak’, he is widely considered as the pioneer of OBC and EBC reservations in the country.As President Droupadi Murmu addressed the nation on the eve of the 75th Republic Day on Thursday, she said this year of the Republic is “truly a historic milestone in the journey of the nation in many ways”. Calling the time India is seeing currently as one of an "epochal transformation" with the golden opportunity to soar to new heights, President Droupadi Murmu said the nation is in the early years of Amrit Kaal. Speaking of Republic Day, French President Emmaunel Macron is the chief guest for this year's Republic Day event. He met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday for dinner at Jaipur’s Taj Rambagh Palace where they held discussions on bilateral and global issues of concern and interest.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, we are joined by Indian Express' Chief of National Political Bureau Manoj CG to discuss the first major crisis faced by the opposition INDIA bloc, as two of its partners have chosen to contest elections independently in their respective states.Second, Indian Express' Diplomatic Affairs editor Shubhajit Roy talks about this year's Republic Day Chief Guest French President Emmanuel Macron, and the significance of the India-France ties (12:32).Lastly, we give you an update about the media interaction conducted by Dennis Francis, President of the UN General Assembly, during his visit to India (23:12). Hosted by Shashank BhargavaWritten and Produced by Shashank BhargavaEdited and Mixed by Suresh Pawar

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 25th of January and here are the headlines.French President Emmaunel Macron, who is the chief guest for this year's Republic Day event, landed in Jaipur today. He was received by Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. Macron is scheduled to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi later today in the afternoon for a roadshow, called the Shobha Yatra. During the Shobha Yatra, Macron and Modi will travel from Jantar Mantar to Hawa Mahal from 6 pm onwards, covering a kilometre in the Pink City.The Congress’ Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, resumed from Assam and entered Cooch Behar from West Bengal today. The Bengal leg of the Yatra comes in the backdrop of tensions within the INDIA alliance, with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee saying that her party will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls independently. The TMC will also abstain from joining the yatra. Banerjee said, “As a gesture of courtesy, did they (Congress) let me know that they are coming to Bengal for the Yatra? I am not aware of it.”Continuing his standoff with the CPI(M)-led state government, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan today cut short his policy address to the Budget Session of the Assembly, wrapping up in less than two minutes. After reading out the first paragraph addressing the Assembly, Khan jumped to the last para of the 61-page-long policy address, before winding up the speech, one of the shortest policy addresses of a governor in the Kerala Assembly marking the beginning of the Budget Session.Jammu and Kashmir scripted history on Wednesday for providing entrepreneurship and self-employment opportunities to a record 94,680 youths in a single day. The sanction letters were distributed at a function presided over by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, just two days before the Republic Day. On the occasion, Sinha congratulated the Jammu Kashmir Bank for its endeavour to strengthen the spirit of Ghar Ghar KCC Abhiyaan and Swarozgar Utsav – two ongoing campaigns aimed at the financial empowerment of farmers and the youth.Days after the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol in Ayodhya, the large crowds of devotees that had thronged the newly inaugurated Ram Mandir in Ayodhya appeared to have thinned out slightly on Thursday morning. By 6 am today, there were two queues — each about a kilometre long — outside the temple premises. However, officials said the numbers would increase over the course of the day as devotees were likely to partake in a ritual called ‘paush purnima’, in which devotees take a dip in the Saryu river.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express’ Vikas Pathak discusses the significance of the Ram Temple for the BJP and the challenge it poses for opposition parties.Next, Indian Express’ Rakhi Jagga informs us about the latest restrictions imposed by the Canadian government on international students (13:45).Lastly, we take a quick look at Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma’s recent comments on the FIR filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Assam (21:55).Hosted by Shashank BhargavaWritten and produced by Shashank Bhargava and Niharika NandaEdited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 24th of January and here are the headlines.As the Congress party’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra resumed from Assam’s Barpeta today, party leader Rahul Gandhi asserted that he cannot be intimidated by the BJP-RSS. He openly challenged them to file as many cases against him as they wished. He also accused state CM Himanta Biswa Sarma of “spreading hate and usurping the land of the people of Assam.” The Assam police had registered a case against Gandhi and other Congress leaders yesterday following a scuffle between participants of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and the Assam Police when the yatra attempted to enter Guwahati city.In another jolt to the INDIA bloc ahead of Lok Sabha elections, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today announced that the Aam Aadmi Party will not stitch up an alliance with Congress in the state. Mann’s declaration came even as Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said the TMC is not in any discussion with the Congress, and that her party would go it alone in the 20 Lok Sabha election in the state.Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra has backed the idea of simultaneous elections. He told the ‘One Nation One Election’ committee in his response that the concept “warrants careful deliberation before becoming an integral part of the electoral framework”. The high-level committee had written to Mishra on 2nd of January as a part of its consultative process. In his reply on 16th of January, Mishra said quite, “One Nation, One Election presents a promising stride forward for India. Its a very welcome step”. Unquote.Aviation watchdog DGCA has imposed a penalty of Rs 1.10 crore on Air India for safety violations with respect to operations of leased Boeing 777 planes to the US.This is the second time in a week that the regulator has penalised Air India. The regulator had received a complaint from a former Air India pilot alleging that the airline operated Boeing 777 planes to the US without having the required system of emergency oxygen supply.The Supreme Court today questioned Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta’s submission that the government did not accept the 1981 amendment made by Parliament to the Aligarh Muslim University Act, and said it cannot take such a stand. The top court said that “irrespective of which government represents the cause of the Union of India, Parliament’s cause is eternal, indivisible and indestructible” and that the government would have to stand by the amendment.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.