The Interview With Karan Thapar

Епизоди

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  Mohan Bhagwat’s speeches are confused and duplicitous, not proof Hindutva has changed 07.09.2026 30мин

  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.
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  The credibility of Modi govt depends on fulfilling its promise to restore statehood to J&K 08.08.2026 28мин

  The credibility of Modi govt depends on fulfilling its promise to restore statehood to J&K: Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, to Karan Thapar for The Wire........................................August the 5th was seven years since the abrogation of Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir’s loss of statehood. Whilst most people have accepted that the abrogation is irrevocable, the Modi government has promised that statehood will be restored at the earliest. That was said to the Supreme Court three years ago but the government has failed to live up to its commitment. So today we ask how strong is the case for full statehood? And does the Union Government’s argument against it hold water? My guest is the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah. Chief Minister Abdullah refutes at length the claim that statehood cannot be restored until terror is eradicated. This is a particularly forceful part of the interview and the arguments he makes are convincing and need to be heard from him directly. In the interview, Chief Minister Abdullah also speaks in detail about how the Lieutenant Governor’s control of the administration, the police and many ministries has undermined the powers and effectiveness of his government. This will come as a surprise, if not a shock, to many people. Again, you should hear this for yourself. Chief Minister Abdullah also speaks about the disappointment people in Kashmir feel about the loss of their statehood. He says his own credibility has suffered because he genuinely believed that if he established an amicable relationship with the Union Government it would facilitate the restoration of statehood. But despite his best efforts that has not happened. I will stop there. This is a very forceful, powerful and informative interview. If you want to understand the position of the government of Jammu and Kashmir, not just vis-à-vis the Union Government and the issue of statehood but also in terms of the powers it has and how it is stymied by the Governor, then this is an interview you should see.
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  If restoration of statehood in J&K depends on BJP coming to power we could wait 100s of years 05.08.2026 27мин

  If restoration of statehood in J&K depends on BJP coming to power we could wait 100s of years: Radha Kumar, Co-chairperson, Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir, to Karan Thapar for The Wire........................................Today, August the 5th, is seven years since the abrogation of Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir’s loss of statehood. Whilst most people have accepted that the abrogation is irrevocable, the Modi government has promised that statehood will be restored at the earliest. That was said to the Supreme Court three years ago but the government has failed to live up to its commitment. So today we ask how strong is the case for full statehood? And does the Union Government’s argument against it hold water? My guest is a former member of the Group of Interlocutors and Co-chair of the Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir, Radha Kumar.
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  First Came the War, Then the Blockade, Now the Shortages; Epic Fury Has Become Epic Folly 25.05.2026 22мин

  In a recent op-ed in the Financial Times, headlined ‘The Gulf crisis may just be starting’, the paper’s well-known and highly regarded Chief Economics Commentator, Martin Wolf, analyses the impact of an aspect of the Gulf crisis that so far hasn’t got the attention it deserves i.e. the shortages and how their impact could get worse the longer they remain and the greater the physical damage done in the Gulf. He believes the real Gulf crisis may only just be starting. And he ends his Financial Times article with the following sentence: ‘The US called its war Operation Epic Fury. But Operation Epic Folly would have been a more realistic name’.
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  Time has come to talk to Pakistan; Modi should take the initiative: Pravin Sawhney 24.05.2026 26мин

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  Current account deficit and falling rupee are biggest concerns of the Gulf crisis 19.05.2026 42мин

  The Chief Economist of Axis Bank and a Member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council says in his opinion the current account deficit and the falling rupee are the “most binding constraints” emerging out of the current Gulf crisis. Neelkanth Mishra also believes that the impact of the Gulf war and the oil crisis could be around 0.7%-08% of GDP growth. He says: “The sensitivity is that about $15 per barrel increase in oil price costs the economy about $40 billion or 1% of GDP. So if you take the average price of $70 a barrel of last year, if the oil price averages $85 a barrel, there’s a 1% of GDP impact. If it’s a $100 a barrel, it’s a 2% of GDP impact.”
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  What does Trump's China visit mean for India and the world? 14.05.2026 32мин

  President Trump is on a three-day visit to China. What is he looking for from Beijing? What is he prepared to offer in return? Might China be willing to help Trump secure peace in the Middle East? And what are the implications of this visit for India’s relationship with both China and America?
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  'I’m deeply concerned by the election results; the Republic has no reason to celebrate' 05.05.2026 55мин

  In an interview to discuss the election results that were announced yesterday (the 4th of May) as well as what they mean for India as a whole and what they suggest about the BJP’s hold over the country, Yogendra Yadav, the National Convenor of the Bharat Jodo Abhiyan, has said he is deeply concerned, adding he doesn’t believe the Indian Republic has reasons to celebrate the outcome. “As a democrat, as someone who thinks about the future of the Indian Republic, I am deeply concerned. I don’t resent the winners. They have every reason to celebrate. But does the country, does the Republic, have reasons to celebrate? I am not sure.” Yogendra Yadav argues that the window that seemed to open with the Parliamentary election results of 2024, but was steadily narrowing thereafter, is now firmly shut. “The window of opportunity that opened in 2024 with the Parliamentary elections, suddenly a whiff of fresh air, suddenly the country looked more democratic than it appeared for a few years, and suddenly it seemed as if things could happen, could change, that window became narrower after Maharashtra and Haryana elections and particularly after the Bihar elections. I think it’s safe to say that the window is firmly shut today.”
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  Rising Oil Prices Could Reduce India’s GDP Upto 2.5% – A Fairly Substantial Fall 01.05.2026 20мин

  In an interview to discuss the impact of rising oil prices – which yesterday touched $126 per barrel – on both the world economy and India’s economy, economist and former Chief Statistician of India Pronab Sen said that rising oil prices could reduce India’s expected GDP growth by up to 2.5%. He agreed that this was a fairly substantial fall. Sen said he was particularly worried about India’s exports to the Gulf region which have presently been blocked by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. He said he was not confident that India could find alternate markets for what it sells to the Gulf countries and if it can’t this will have a direct impact on the concerned exporters leading, he agreed, to losses in jobs. This, he believes, will be a major component of the decline in GDP growth that he talked about.
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  Keir Starmer is a Lawyer Not a Politician and That’s His Real Problem 29.04.2026 17мин

  Sir Keir Starmer the British Prime Minister’s real problem is that he has failed to transition from being a lawyer into a prime minister and senior politician and, as a result, lacks strategy and keeps going back on what he has said and done or acting inadvisably, such as with the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Ambassador to the United States. This is the verdict of former British Secretary of State for International Development and former Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell. Sir Andrew says that Starmer is now a Prime Minister with serious question marks about his longevity and his capabilities, many of which are recognized by the Labour Party, but who may not be easily removable from office because there is no clear contender to take his place. This means that the prime ministership of Britain, the future of the Labour Party government and of the country itself is surrounded by uncertainty and doubt.
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  Vice President Has 'Clearly, Patently Erred” in Accepting Merger of AAP MPs with BJP 29.04.2026 23мин

  Abhishek Manu Singhvi, one of the foremost legal minds in the country, a Rajya Sabha MP and Congress spokesperson, has said that Vice President Radhakrishnan has “clearly, patently erred” in accepting the merger of seven Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MPs with the BJP. Singhvi says that this decision by the Vice President can be challenged in Court and it’s quite possible that it will be overturned. Singhvi points out that in accepting the merger the Vice President has ignored what Singhvi calls “the preponderance of judgements” and instead allowed himself to be guided by “an awry judgement” in the Chodankar case.
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  Iran War a 'Strategic Disaster' for Trump and USA: Editor-in-Chief The Economist 28.04.2026 41мин

  The Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, Zanny Minton Beddoes, says the Iran war is a “strategic disaster” for President Donald Trump and the USA. She said: “I think this is along the line of Suez for the Brits. A very big geo-strategic misstep where the US has, I think, unambiguously lost from this. And it’s in a weaker position in the Gulf and it’s in a weaker position internationally.” Minton Beddoes said Trump should be thought of not as a conventional American President with a cabinet and advisors who speak their mind, debate and then come to agreed conclusions but as a King surrounded by courtiers who vie to tell him what he wants to hear. Minton Beddoes believes that there is a good chance the war could resume because, at the moment, both sides believe they have the upper hand and they are waiting for the other to give in.
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  Who does the ceasefire benefit more - Iran or the United States? 24.04.2026 30мин

  After the extension of the ceasefire we ask critical questions about the new situation in the Middle East. Is this an open ended and indefinite extension of the ceasefire? Who does it benefit more? Does Iran’s refusal to come to Islamabad indicate its feeling stronger? Or is the regime internally divided, as Trump has claimed? Now, whenever talks happen, how can the key differences be bridged? And is either side willing to make the compromises necessary? Those are the key issues Karan Thapar raises with the Co-founder and Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Trita Parsi.
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  Where do things stand? What's the future of the Islamabad talks? And now what should we expect? 22.04.2026 38мин

  As uncertainty about the talks that were supposed to happen between America and Iran continues, we ask can the Pakistan-brokered talks still happen? If they do how significant will that be? In these circumstances what can they deliver? What does the confusion of the last two days suggest about America and Iran? And where does the advantage lie? Those are the key issues Karan Thapar raises with the well-known and highly regarded Iran Project Director of the International Crisis Group, Ali Vaez.
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  PM ‘lied’ Saturday; CEC should issue a notice, in fact, should’ve stopped his speech: Kapil Sibal 20.04.2026 20мин

  In an interview to discuss the Prime Minister’s address to the nation on Saturday and his own video response later the same night, former Law and Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal has said “Prime Minister knowing the facts of history deliberately made statements that are inconsistent with those facts … people know what I mean … I have stated what I have stated (which is) based on the facts of history.” Speaking about the Chief Election Commissioner, Sibal said if the CEC had been truly independent and impartial “he should have issued him (the PM) a notice. (In fact), he would not have allowed the speech to go on. He should have made a statement. And he knew, he would have known, the Prime Minister was going to give a speech. He should have stopped it. He should have got the text of the speech. But he didn’t do (any of) it … that’s the problem in this country. If institutions, integrity, collapses, there’s nothing left.”
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  Is the Lack of Clarity About Delimitation Deliberate and Designed to be Deceptive? 17.04.2026 26мин

  There is confusion, concern and lack of clarity about the basis on which the government proposes to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies. Will it be on the basis of the 2011 census, which is what the bills themselves suggest, or will it be a 50% proportionate increase in the Lok Sabha and all the state assemblies, which is what unnamed spokespersons have assured yesterday’s newspapers? And does a 50% proportionate increase make the bills more acceptable to the opposition? Or do they still have serious reservations? Those are the issues Karan Thapar raises with the Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services of the Tamil Nadu government, P. Thiaga Rajan.
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  Govts Proposed Delimitation is “Motivated Gerrymandering” & Threatens India’s Political Integrity 15.04.2026 30мин

  In sharp criticism of the government’s proposed delimitation on the basis of the 2011 census, which was circulated yesterday (Tuesday), former Information and Broadcasting Minister, Manish Tewari has called it “motivated gerrymandering” and says the “preponderance of possibility” is that it would threaten India’s political integrity. He says the proposed seat changes in the Lok Sabha are designed to ensure that the BJP’s political hold over the Hindi heartland brings it as close as possible to retaining power for the foreseeable future. Tewari has done a back of the envelope calculation which shows that if the government’s amendments are passed the number of seats UP has in the Lok Sabha will increase from 80 to around 140 whilst, in comparison, the number of seats Kerala has will only increase from 20 to around 23/24. This means that the present 60 seat difference in the size of their respective representation in the Lok Sabha will jump to somewhere around 123-125.
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  Trump Has Backed Off and This is Military Defeat for America but Pakistan’s Profile Has Risen 08.04.2026 30мин

  In an interview to analyse and help the audience understand the two week ceasefire announced by the US and Iran in the Middle East war and the prospects for talks, which are said to start in Islamabad on Friday, India’s former Ambassador to the USA, Navtej Sarna, says Trump has backed off and the truth is this is a military defeat for the USA. Sarna said: “I don’t think Trump has pulled of anything, as I see it. I think he’s backed off. He’s backed off not only from his hugely exaggerated and bombastic comments of yesterday but he’s actually backed off from this entire conflict that was a war of aggression, a war of choice, launched by the US and Israel.”
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  If Eligible Adults Denied Vote in Bengal It’ll Be Unconstitutional, Deplorable & Vitiate Election 07.04.2026 21мин

  Former Chief Election Commissioners S.Y. Quraishi has said that if eligible adults in Bengal are denied the right to vote in the forthcoming elections later this month it would be unconstitutional and deplorable, it would vitiate the elections and be a black mark on our democracy. Dr. Quraishi was referring to newspaper reports that the fate of 23.4 lakh Bengali voters, who have reportedly been deleted from the electoral rolls but have the right to appeal to tribunals, hangs in the balance because the tribunals are yet to start work whilst the last date for inclusion in the electoral rolls for the 152 constituencies voting in the first phase on the 23rd is 3:00 p.m. today. As he put it, this clearly suggests that many – we don’t have the precise number but it could be thousands, tens of thousands or even a few lakh – people won’t be able to vote even though they may be eligible.
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  FCRA Amendment Bill is “Loot and Theft of Christian Institutions – A Sangh Parivar Agenda" 02.04.2026 28мин

  The President of the All India Christian Council and Primate of the Good Shepherd Church of India, Archbishop Joseph Dsouza, has called the government’s proposed amendments to the FCRA Act, which was yesterday, at the last moment, deferred to the next session of parliament, “loot and theft of Christian institutions and their property”. He says this is “a Sangh Parivar agenda”. If passed in the next session of parliament, he says it will create an international storm with serious international repercussions for India. Archbishop Dsouza said: “This is a straight forward loot and theft of the Christian institutions and their properties through a legal amendment of a bill. Just as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said years ago demonetization was organized loot and plunder, I say if this law is passed this will be the legalized loot of the Indian Christian community and the global Christian community.”