Left, Right & Centre

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today appealed to citizens to observe a "Janata curfew" on Sunday March 22 as a test run for social distancing over the next few days to fight the spread of coronavirus. The Prime Minister also cautioned citizens against hoarding and panic-buying, assuring that there would be no shortage of essentials like milk, medicines and food.

The number of people tested positive for coronavirus in India is gradually rising. Over 150 people are found to be infected. The centre says the situation is under control as there hasn't been community transmission of the virus. Should the government impose a nationwide lockdown and strictly enforce it?

Senior Supreme Court lawyer and Rajya Sabha MP from the Congress, Kapil Sibal, has criticised the move to appoint Justice Ranjan Gogoi to the Rajya Sabha. Speaking to NDTV, he said, "Nothing is legally wrong...legality is not an answer to everything, there is something called morality." Going forward, he said, for retiring judges and retiring chief justices, there should be a cooling off period.

As former judges and senior lawyers criticise former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi's nomination to the Rajya Sabha, BJP member Lalitha Kumaramangalam has said he must be given a chance. "Let us remember that he is a nominated member, he is not elected, which means he does not need to swing either right or left, politically speaking, and he can quite often be his own man," she said.

As the controversy over Justice Ranjan Gogoi's nomination to the Rajya Sabha rages, senior advocate of the Delhi High Court, Rajiv Nayar, has called it a 'terrible decision'. Speaking to NDTV, he said, "The entire principle of separation of powers has been completely undermined."

Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien on Tuesday said parliament should be closed down amid the coronavirus outbreak that has affected over 100 people in India and killed three.

As former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi is nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the Congress has questioned the move while the BJP has defended it. We ask senior Supreme Court lawyer Sanjay Hegde and Congress and BJP representatives on what they think of this move.

Dr Naresh Trehan, one of India's most respected doctors and founder of Medanta Hospitals, on Monday spoke to NDTV about the coronavirus pandemic.

The Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh on Monday got a breather after the Speaker adjourned the Assembly till March 26. The BJP has now challenged the Speaker's decision in the Supreme Court and sought a direction for an immediate floor test. As the MP saga unfolds, we speak to senior Supreme Court advocate and former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi on what he thinks of the political crisis in Madhya Pradesh.

As the centre and state governments ramp up efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus, one of the concerns is whether India is making a mistake by not testing everyone who appears to have symptoms linked to the virus? One of India's top medical professional, Dr Naresh Trehan said the country must be prepared to take every measure possible to tackled the pandemic.

As coronavirus cases constantly rise globally, we discuss if it is high time for India to boost testings for this pandemic. we also ask if it is time to allow the private sector to step up in our country and help prevent this outbreak from spreading further.

India, despite its population size, has reported only 2 deaths and 84 confirmed coronavirus cases so far. Concerns however remain over India's testing for Covid-19 which is currently restricted to just about 65 government accredited labs in the country. The WHO is urging countries to increase testing among other measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. Here's a discussion with experts on whether India can do this and how we can contain the virus from spreading further.

The World Health Organisation has declared the novel coronavirus a global pandemic. From travel and tourism to international conferences to global sporting events the coronavirus pandemic is changing the way we live. All schools except those classes taking exams have been closed in New Delhi. The central government, now armed with special powers to override states on matters of health, says the biggest challenge is to slow the spread by tracking down each contact of those infected.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, once among Rahul Gandhi's closest aides, joined the BJP today, ending his 18-year association with the Congress, the party of his father. He said he was doing it with a heavy heart because Congress was "no longer the party it was". He will be one of the two BJP Rajya Sabha candidates from Madhya Pradesh and could eventually be rewarded with a cabinet post as well. But Mr Scindia's fate could be dependent on the number of MLAs that continue to support him; already there are rumbles among some of them and the Congress insists the Madhya Pradesh government isn't in jeopardy after all. Tonight on Left, Right & Centre we ask, where does the Congress go from here? What does Jyotiraditya Scindia's exit say for Congress? Will Kamal Nath survive in Madhya Pradesh?

BJP may have lost Jharkhand and Delhi and been outwitted in Maharashtra but it has hit back hard in Madhya Pradesh, a state it had lost just over a year ago. The top Congress leader quit the party and is all set to join the BJP - most likely in exchange for a cabinet berth and a Rajya Sabha seat. With him, close to 21 MLAs of the Congress - shipped off to a resort in Karnataka - have resigned; it is virtually game over for the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh.