Indian think tanks, Congress’s inevitability, ‘Ram’ in election campaigns | Hafta FULL EPISODE 480

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This week, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, and Jayashree Arunachalam are joined by policy researcher Yamini Aiyar and senior journalist Rasheed Kidwai.

On the challenges facing think tanks in India, Yamini says working in policy has “moved from jholawala inputs to suit-boot inputs” over the years, referring to the increased corporatisation.

The panel then discusses the Congress manifesto, and the party’s relevance in the upcoming elections. Abhinandan asks, “Is the Congress inevitable?” Rasheed says the grand old party is “not a dead body. It is very much alive and kicking.”

The conversation then moves on to the controversy around Ramayana fame actor Arun Govil campaigning in Meerut with a photograph of the deity Ram. On the use of religion for votes, Rasheed says it’s “not an issue” for voters in India.

This and a whole lot more. Tune in!

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0:00 - 1:29 Introduction
1:30 - 5:18 Meet the panel
5:19- 17:32 History of think tanks in India
17:33- 27:01 Headlines
27:02 -30:58 How non-partisan can think tanks be?
30:59- 39:18 What role do think tanks play?
39:19 - 45:01 Does India ‘need’ Congress?
45:02- 51:53 How central are the Gandhis to Congress?
51:54 - 55:20 The rise of personality cults in Indian politics
55:21- 59:36 What defines an electoral battle?
59:37 - 1:05:54 Should religion be used to ask for votes?
1:05:55 - 01:07:47 Democracy, voting and Ram Madhav
1:07:48- 1:11:27 Should there be a rule against using religion for votes?
1:11:28 - 1:18:39 Features of small-scale elections
1:18:40 -1:22:29 What is happening in Tamil Nadu?
1:22:30 - 1:55:14 Podcast letters
1:55:15-2:00:50 Newslaundry recommendations
2:00:51-2:02:42 Pay to keep news free

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