Left, Right & Centre

UP CM Yogi Adityanath joined the 15-day relay walk in Kerala, launched by BJP Chief Amit Shah. The BJP says it's focusing on CPM's murder politics. On a warpath against 'Jihadi Red Terror', is Yogi Adityanath the BJP's Hindutva mascot?

How far will we have to go for our right to breathe clean air? The Supreme Court banned the sale of firecrackers last year in Delhi - an order which the top court modified later this year with riders. The children on whose petition the Supreme Court acted have approached the top court again to re-impose the ban.

It is the single biggest story that is confronting this country - the state of the economy. Growth is at a three year low, at just 5.7 per cent - something even the most die-hard supporters of the government say is too low and needs to be fixed. And where are the jobs? That is the key question for most folks as new data shows that creations of jobs has also shown a sharp decline. Many economists believe a combination of demonetisation and the GDP implementation has only added to the problem. Others don't think demonetisation was such a big factor. Just last week former finance minister Yashwant Sinha went public with scathing criticism of the way the economy is being handled - he doesn't believe it will be fixed by 2019, the time of the next General election. Joining us on Left, Right and Centre, a man who has worn many hats, former union minister in the previous NDA government, a former editor and economist, Arun Shourie.

We've been talking about the state of the economy - one key area of focus is small businesses which have been badly hit by the implementation of GST. Many now have little or no money to even run their businesses.

22 people were killed today when they found themselves trapped in a stampede on a foot over bridge connecting two stations in Mumbai. But what makes a tragedy like this so much worse is the fact that it could have been prevented. These 22 lives could have been saved if warnings had been heeded, if someone had taken warnings about the impending disaster on this very foot over bridge seriously.

Former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha broke his silence on the economy and wrote a piece in the Indian Express that essentially tore the government apart on its economic policies, particularly Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's handling of the situation. Mr Sinha has predicted that the economy may not recover in time for the next Lok Sabha elections. Union Minister Jayant Sinha, who is Yashwant Sinha's son, has also written a piece in the Times of India in which he defended the government's policy decisions. We take a look at what made Yashwant Sinha speak up. Is the economy in a "mess" or is it something else?

He is the author of a key American law that strongly punished Pakistan for pursuing a nuclear programme by misusing US aid. Senator Larry Pressler, who advocated the famous Pressler Amendment, is out with a new book 'Neighbours In Arms'. It takes an in-depth look at how the US was once deeply worried about the development of nuclear weapons, and how it stopped aid and military sales as a result. How did that all unravel later?

A Karnataka High Court judge resigns after he is overlooked for a key promotion. This is the same judge who had ordered a CBI probe into the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case in Gujarat. So what is going on here? Is there a lack of transparency in judicial appointments?

Police struggle to answer questions on reports that key CCTV footage in the Chandigarh stalking case is missing. The accused - son of the Haryana BJP chief - is out on bail. The woman who was harassed gets targeted by some BJP leaders. Are the police coming under pressure? Do VVIPs think they can get away with it?

The former Chief Economic Advisor to the government, Kaushik Basu, tells us why he thinks demonetisation was a disaster, why GST is good and why lynchings will hurt the economy.

Arun Jaitley will visit the house of killed RSS functionary Rajesh, hacked to death by a gang near in Thiruvananthapuram last week, on Sunday. Workers from both the BJP and the RSS and their families are being attacked even as the chief minister attempts to find peace. The Left says it is part of a larger plot by the BJP and the RSS to unsettle the government - a charge they deny.

Income Tax authorities raid the Karnataka Minister at whose resort 43 Gujarat Congress MLAs have been hiding to avoid poaching ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls. The Congress says this is a witch-hunt; the government says don't link this raid to the election. Was it all just a coincidence?

Home loans and other loans could get cheaper as the Reserve Bank cuts a key lending rate but with manufacturing at a nine-year-low and core sectors down post demonetisation and GST, can the economy revive soon?

Lord Meghnad Desai joins us on his new book where he asks whether the liberal order can survive post PM Modi and Donald Trump.

In a big win for the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, a top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander was killed. With stepped up anti-terror ops and a crackdown on separatists, do security forces have the upper hand in the Valley?