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#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #amitshah #maharashtranews #sharadpawar

This week, I return to one of my home states, Maharashtra.. a state which once again is tangled in political turbulence. Now One of Maharashtra’s famous folk dance shows is the tamasha.. what we are seeing playing out in the state is a Maha-tamasha. So this week, I take you behind the scenes to introduce you to 10 key actors in this theatre of the absurd and their starring roles,

#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #amitshah #modi #manipurlatestnews #manipurnews #NongthombamBirenSingh

May 3rd 2023 is a day which journalist Hoinhu Hauzel and her family will never forget. On that fateful night, an armed group entered a residential colony in Imphal and burnt down over 30 homes, all belonging to Kuki-Zomis. Hoinhu’s elderly parents had to flee as their home was razed to the ground. The burnt remains include precious books: Hoinhu’s father is an academic who has written extensively on the tribes of Manipur. That only tribal homes and churches were targeted while Meitei-owned houses in the neighborhood were untouched is glaring evidence of Manipur’s vicious cycle of ethnic violence which has seen more than 120 people killed and thousands displaced across communities over the last two months. What makes Hoinhu’s case even more terrifying is the fact that her Imphal home is barely 10 minutes away from the chief minister’s residence.

#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #narendramodi #jeobidan

This week, the news headlines have been dominated by PM Modi’s visit to the US.. So I thought that this might be a good time to share some unknown stories about the encounters of Indian Pms in the US.. from Nehru to Modi since as I often tell people, Indian PMs did visit the US even before 2014. But lets start with PM Modi since he is the star of the show at the moment. My story about Mr Modi in the US actually predates his becoming PM and even Gujarat CM. take a look at this picture: this one is taken some time in the 1990s when PM Modi was a BJP secretary and had travelled to the US on the invitation of some Gujarati NRIs. Here is the PM in his white sleeveless kurta with the White House in the background, looking every inch the tourist. Few would have imagined that one day he would be an honoured state guest in the very same white house.

#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #brijbhushansharansingh #bajrangpunia #geetaphogat #wrestlersprotest

A few days ago, I did a tv show on the Delhi police chargesheet in the Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh case.. The BJP MP and wrestling boss is accused by women wrestlers of sexual harassment. The 500 page chargesheet based on the wrestlers complaint accuses Singh of sexual harassment and stalking. BUT and this is a big BUT.. the police also filed a 550 page cancellation report in the POCSO case against him because a minor who had initially accused Singh of molestation had then put out a fresh statement retracting the original one. Net net: Singh will face charges under mostly bailable provisions of the law and NOT the more serious charges under POCSO where he would face immediate arrest.

#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #brijbhushansharansingh #bajrangpunia #geetaphogat #wrestlersprotest

A few days ago, I did a tv show on the Delhi police chargesheet in the Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh case.. The BJP MP and wrestling boss is accused by women wrestlers of sexual harassment. The 500 page chargesheet based on the wrestlers complaint accuses Singh of sexual harassment and stalking. BUT and this is a big BUT.. the police also filed a 550 page cancellation report in the POCSO case against him because a minor who had initially accused Singh of molestation had then put out a fresh statement retracting the original one. Net net: Singh will face charges under mostly bailable provisions of the law and NOT the more serious charges under POCSO where he would face immediate arrest.

#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #manipur #manipurunrest #kuki #meitei #manipurviolence #nbirensingh #explained #violence #stategoverment #manipurnews #manipurlatestnews #bsf #amitshah #abhiandniyu #NorthEast

There has been much comment in recent times over the film Kerala Story. Before that, we had another film, Kashmir Files. Both films were extensively promoted by the powers that be in Delhi. Both films fitted in with a specific political agenda. One gathers that more such films where the Muslim is the ‘enemy’ are on the anvil. Now, here is an idea for film-makers: why don’t you make a film ‘Manipur Files’?

#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #wrestlersprotest #BrijBhushanSharanSingh #brijbhushansingh
#meenakshi #sakshimalik #vineshphogat #BajrangPunia #BrijBhushanSharanSingh #pmmodi #ajitanjum #babitafogat #brijbhushansingh #amitshah #wrestlersprotest #wrestling #delhipolice #bajrangpuniya #मीनाक्षीलेखी #delhipolice #wrestlersprotest #amitshah

The wrestlers protest refuses to go away. The image of the wrestlers being bodily lifted from Jantar mantar by the delhi police is one of the images of the week as is the drama that unfolded over a threat by the wrestlers to throw their medals in the ganga. Here are my 10 takeaways from what I call the dangal for justice.

#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #modi #rahulgandhi #newparliamentbuilding #newparliament

This weekend, India will get a new Parliament building. Typically of the hyper polarised times in which we live, the inauguration is not without controversy,. So officially the cost as per a reply to lok sabha t is Rs 972 crore which we are reliably informed has subsequently increased by nearly 300 crores. In truth, no one is certain about the final costs involved. Do we need new parliament building? Most experts one soeaks to say we probably do given the pressure on a beautifully designed but creaking building that was commissioned in 1927. Could the old and new have co existed better? Maybe but that’s for architects and designers to debate.

#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #rahulgandhi #modi #pressconference

I was trending on twitter for almost 48 hours. The reason? My interaction with Rahul Gandhi at a press conference had gone viral. You see I asked Rahul Gandhi a question at the presser to tell us what would be his next steps on his legal and political strategy following his disqualification from parliament. Mr Gandhi answered: I have only one step that is to fight for the truth in the country and defend democratic nature that is under brutal attack.. At that moment, I tried to intervene and ask him to be more specific. Mr Gandhi responded: please let me finish Rajdeep, unless you want to answer it for me… you do that also sometimes..”

#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep #pmmodi #bjpindia #rahulgandhi #indiannationalcongress #opposition

Something significant happened in indian politics this week.. at a dinner hosted by Congress president Malikarjun Kharge, 19 opposition political parties landed up in solidarity over Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha. It would have been 20 but the Shiv Sena gave the dinner a miss in protest against Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on savarkar. So, here is the big question: will 2024 be Modi and the BJP versus all?