Advertise on podcast: The Interview With Karan Thapar

Was Saturday's mock impeachment a clever idea or childish gimmickry?: Tavleen Singh, Author and Columnist, and Siddharth Varadarajan, Founding Editor of The Wire, debate this key question with Karan Thapar for The Wire. ....................................... Saturday’s mock impeachment of the Chief Election Commissioner has both captured the attention of the country and been roundly criticised by the BJP and the government. Today we debate both sides of that case and ask what did the turnout at Sunday’s Ramlila rally suggest about the truth? My guests are author and Indian Express columnist Tavleen Singh and the Founding Editor of The Wire Sidharath Varadarajan. Incidentally, both of them agree that Gyanesh Kumar should resign and they seem to suggest that he is probably likely to do so, perhaps under persuasion/coercion by the Modi government.

Netanyahu has done better than expected but Eisenkot could still form the government: Yossi Beilin, former Israeli Justice Minister, to Karan Thapar for The Wire. ....................................... Yesterday Israel held what is possibly its most consequential election in decades. There was a record turnout of 77.7%. The election was effectively a referendum on Benjamin Netanyahu’s prime ministership. Clearly the majority of the votes in Israel’s system of proportional representation were against Netanyahu. But his party and his bloc have emerged the largest though short of a majority. Could he cobble one together? Eisenkot, on the other hand, would have a clear majority if he accepts support from the Arab parties. Will he do so? And where does he stand on issues like Gaza and Iran and Hamas? Those are the important issues I raise today with Israel’s former Justice Minister, Yossi Beilin.

Chief Justice Chandrachud did not live up to my expectations of him: Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul to Karan Thapar for The Wire. My guest today is one of the most highly regarded former judges of the Supreme Court. He’s just published his memoirs. It’s called Without Fear or Favour. It's a very accurate title because the book contains some devastating revelations that at times are not just disturbing but possibly disillusioning. My intention today is to discuss several of them. Joining me now is the author Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul.

I see the protests as "a moment of great hope"; the audacity and impertinence is enheartening: Mukul Kesavan, Historian, Novelist and Essayist, to Karan Thapar for The Wire. ....................................... Today we focus on the protests that have paralyzed the centre of Delhi since Saturday and the government’s response to them. What do the protests reveal of the state of the country and the response of young India? What does this reveal of the Narendra Modi government? Have the police acted illegally and improperly with many of the people they detained? How effective was the Supreme Court’s response? And what impact could all of this have on India’s image as a properly functioning democracy? Finally, how should we take the claim the protests are foreign funded? My guest is the well-known and highly regarded historian, novelist and essayist, Mukul Kesavan.

Charging MDR on UPI payments could increase costs in many ways; it'll benefit Visa & Mastercard: Ajay Srivastava, Founder, Global Trade Research Initiative, to Karan Thapar for The Wire. ....................................... As things stand the government’s controversial decision to impose a merchant discount rate on specified UPI payments above Rs. 2,000/- will take affect from Thursday the 15th of October. Critics believe this is a serious mistake. First, it could increase costs across the board with an impact on the economy as a whole. They also believe it will benefit Visa and Mastercard, Google Pay and PhonePe at the cost of UPI. Third, they think it’s being done to please the United States Trade Representative. Joining me now to share his views is the Founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative, Ajay Srivastava.

The present Indian govt is one of the biggest committers of ecocide in the world today: Author and Blogger Avay Shukla to Karan Thapar for The Wire. The recent environmental disaster in the Himalayas in Nepal was a clear sign we need to pay serious attention to issues of environmental and climate change. If not we are playing with our own future as a planet. There are clear limits to how far man can go to master and bend nature to his will. The truth is we know all of this but do we pay attention? My guest today has published a collection of essays on this subject. It’s called The Last Sky: Countdown for an Endangered Planet. Joining me now to talk about this major issue is the author, Avay Shukla.

Young Gandhi was racist, never had Ambedkar’s respect on untouchability but won the trust of Muslims: Ramachandra Guha to Karan Thapar on his new book ‘Arguments with Gandhi’ for The Wire Ramachandra Guha’s latest book ‘Arguments with Gandhi’ raises key questions about the Mahatma. Was the young Gandhi a racist during his days in South Africa? Why did Gandhi never win the respect of B. R. Ambedkar? Was Gandhi’s pursuit of interfaith dialogue and religious pluralism a failure? And, finally, how much of his behaviour and thinking has influenced the country we have become? Joining me to help answer these questions is Ramachandra Guha himself.

PM Modi would have been told about the mess in Election Commission: Former CEC S. Y. Quraishi, former EC Ashok Lavasa and National Convener of Bharat Jodo Abhiyaan, Yogendra Yadav, to Karan Thapar for The Wire. ....................................... Today we focus on the Indian Express expose of the functioning of the Election Commission. It raises fundamental issues. Was the Commission functioning as a one man operation? How much of this was known to the Modi government? Should the SIR exercise be scrapped and reversed? Did Election Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi do everything they could have or did they fall short? And is it time for Gyanesh Kumar to resign as Chief Election Commissioner? Those are some of the issues I shall raise with my guests. They are former Chief Election Commissioner S. Y. Quraishi, former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa and the National Convener of the Bharat Jodo Abhiyaan, Yogendra Yadav.

In A. S. Dulat's first novel Kashmir is a tragedy and the Head of IB has a break down: A. S. Dulat to Karan Thapar for The Wire on his first novel 'Our Kind of Games' I know that former foreign secretaries and former army chiefs have written novels but my guest is the first former Head of R&AW to do so. The book is called Our Kind of Games. Set in Kashmir, it’s the story of Ranjit Soni, the Head of IB in the territory, as well as about Kashmir itself and its impact on Soni. Dulat says 50 percent of Soni is modelled on himself. In the book Kashmir emerges as a tragic place and Soni as an IB officer who becomes disillusioned with his job. Everyone who helps Soni dies. As Dulat puts it: “Working with Ranjit Soni was lethal. Being useful to him was fatal. Trusting him was suicide.” The book ends with Ranjit Soni’s break down and he is replaced by an intelligence officer called Swamy who’s loosely modelled on Ajit Doval, the former Head of IB and presently National Security Advisor. But if he reads the book will Ajit Doval recognize himself? Dulat is not sure. I will stop there. Let Mr. Dulat himself speak about his book. I certainly recommend you read it.

Disappointed, dismayed and worried by Supreme Court's functioning: Justice Madan Lokur, former Supreme Court Judge, to Karan Thapar for The Wire. ....................................... Today our focus is on four critical issues concerning the Supreme Court. Should the Court give top priority to petitions questioning the way the SIR exercise has been conducted? Is the Chief Justice of India guilty of a casual and cavalier response to petitions seeking to advance the hearing of appeals in Nandigram and Rejinagar? Third, is Justice Sharma guilty of a serious impropriety whilst hearing the challenge to the law appointing Election Commissioners? Finally, has the Chief Justice raised worrying questions by the way the Medha Roopam case was listed? These are fundamental issues as you will soon discover. They are not technical or small matters. My guest is one of the most highly regarded former judges of the Supreme Court, Justice Madan Lokur.

The Tata crisis is a mess and no one comes out of it unscathed: Sucheta Dalal, Managing Editor, Moneylife, to Karan Thapar for The Wire. ....................................... Today we focus our attention on the crisis that’s afflicted the Tata Group. Was N. Chandrasekaran’s appointment for a third term as Chairman legitimate or illegal? Is the RBI’s insistence on listing in the best interests of the company or could it threaten its future? And is the Modi government pulling strings from behind the scenes? Those questions lie at the heart of the issues I shall seek to raise today. My guest is the well-known and highly regarded Managing Editor of Moneylife, Sucheta Dalal. Here is the link:

I hope Modi is defeated in 2029, like the PM in my first novel ‘The Actor’: Tavleen Singh to Karan Thapar for The Wire. ...................................... You probably know Tavleen Singh as a columnist and the author of serious political books. Today I shall introduce Tavleen Singh the novelist. Her first book, The Actor, was recently released. Set sometime in the future, it’s the story of India under an autocratic and dictatorial Prime Minister commonly known as Guruji. He’s a spellbinding speaker. He’s obsessed with himself. He’s ruthless towards his opponents and critics. And very conscious of his image in the media. Does that sound familiar? I suspect it’s meant to. Joining me now to talk about her book is Tavleen Singh herself.

Haaretz expose of Netanyahu believable, his behaviour was "criminal": Gershon Baskin, Middle East Director, International Communities Organisation and Israeli hostage negotiator, to Karan Thapar for The Wire. ....................................... The Hamas attack on Israel on October the 7, 2023 traumatised the country. 1,200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage. In response Israel carried out what many consider a genocide. Nearly 75,000 have been killed and the Gaza Strip decimated. But now the Israeli newspaper Haaretz has revealed that Israel had advance warning and ignored it. Prime Minister Netanyahu was informed by the President of the Emirates about ten days in advance but allegedly did nothing. Is this story believable? If it is what are its full implications? My guest is the Middle East Director of the International Communities Organisation and the well-known Israeli hostage negotiator, Gershon Baskin.

BAPS has created outrage in France, embarrassed Macron govt, damaged India's image: Christophe Jaffrelot, Professor of South Asian Politics at Sciences Po and Professor of Indian Politics and Sociology at King's College, London ....................................... The decision to keep women away when a delegation from BAPS visited the Eiffel Tower recently has provoked outrage in Paris and headlines in India. That’s the subject I shall discuss today. The Mayor of Paris has called it unacceptable. Marine Le Pen, the French opposition leader, has demanded an inquiry. But has it also embarrassed the Macron Government? Has it damaged India’s image? And is it a result of the close relationship between BAPS, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Gujarat BJP? My guest is one of the world’s top authorities on Indian studies, Professor of South Asian Politics at Sciences Po in Paris and Professor of Indian Politics and Sociology at King’s College, London, Christophe Jaffrelot.

Mohan Bhagwat's speeches are confused and duplicitous, not proof Hindutva has changed: Suhas Palshikar, Chief Editor, Studies in Indian Politics, to Karan Thapar for The Wire. ....................................... Several people have concluded after reading about Mohan Bhagwat’s speeches in America that he is genuinely celebrating diversity and even sounding like a new Jawaharlal Nehru. Is that the correct conclusion or is it misleading and even naïve? That’s the core issue I shall discuss today. My guest is the Chief Editor of Studies in Indian Politics, Prof. Suhas Palshikar.