This week on NL Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal and Anand Vardhan are joined by journalist Abhilash Khandekar and South Asia expert Michael Kugelman.

The discussion starts with the Ram Navami violence across several states in India and how the festival was never celebrated with such zest. Raman points to the show of strength under the pretext of a festival. Abhilash deliberates on the instances in MP and the demographic of the area where it all happened. “Khargone is not known for any sort of communal tension in the past, ever,” he says. “The bulldozer politics is taking over everything,” he says while talking about the demolition drive by the government in an ostensible violation of due process.

The discussion shifts to the US-India dialogue and the impact of American foreign policy on Pakistan’s situation. Michael talks about how Islamabad’s stand towards Washington has changed with Shahbaz Sharif's government. “Pakistan’s relations with the United States and the western region are crucial and he would put efforts to repair any damage.”

The panel also discusses Abhilash’s recent book, called The Scindia Legacy, and insights on Indore being the cleanest city in India for the past few years.

This and a lot more.

Listen.

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