Left, Right & Centre

High drama in the national capital today as the office of the Young India Limited - the company the Congress party had set up to fund its National Herald newspaper - was sealed by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case. The road leading to Congress headquarters was also sealed, and forces deployed outside Sonia Gandhi's home next door. While the deployment was lifted a short while later, the Congress reacted strongly, accusing the ED of treating their leaders like 'terrorists'. Tonight on Left, Right & Centre we discuss the role of the ED - and whether this is legitimate investigation or mere political vendetta.

US Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taipei today despite intense pressure from Beijing. China has upped the ante, threatening a military response with what they call 'military exercises' - and have publicly stated that the USA and Taiwanese separatists will be responsible for an outcome, if any. Tonight, on Left, Right and Centre, we decode a fairly tense situation that will unfold over the next couple of days.

Sanjay Raut, one of Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray's closest confidants, is now in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate. He was arrested under what the ED says is a Rs 1,000 crore chawl redevelopment scam. While Sanjay Raut cries political vendetta, his freedom has been taken away, and the Supreme Court has made clear that the ED's role in investigation still stands. On Left, Right & Centre, we ask - the ED's conviction rate is 2.5%, but is its harassment rate at a 100%?

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut was detained by the Enforcement Directorate after he skipped summons twice to appear for questioning in an alleged land scam case. The probe agency officials searched his home for most part of the day before he was detained. Sena's Lok Sabha MP Arvind Sawant has said that the whole drama around Sanjay Raut has been orchestrated by the BJP to distract from Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's comments that Mumbai would be nothing if Gujaratis and Marwaris leave, which Sawant claimed has led to anger among the Marathis.

Has Operation Kamal, the alleged BJP strategy to bribe legislators to take over states where they are not in power, now been extended to Jharkhand? It depends on who you ask. The Congress today said that there was clear cut evidence that the BJP was willing to pay off their leaders and that 3 of their own MLAs were conduits to make this happen. These 3 MLAs, who have now been suspended, have been arrested in Bengal where the CID has launched an investigation after 'huge amounts' of money was found in their vehicle. Another Congress MLA in Jharkhand, Anup Singh, has released a letter where he says that he too was approached. The BJP, for its part, says that the Congress MLAs who have been arrested in Bengal are corrupt and they have nothing to do with them. We on Left, Right and Centre ask, is this Congress Corruption or BJP's Op Lotus in Jharkhand?

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's controversial remark today triggered a political storm. Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray launched a blistering attack accusing him of "dividing" Hindus, and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde distanced himself.  

A massive mountain of cash, gold and forex was recovered from Arpita Mukherjee's homes - the aide of Partha Chatterjee who, until he was sacked from all party posts today, was one of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's most senior leaders. While the Trinamool tries to distance themselves from Chatterjee and allege selective targeting by the ED, many may say that the Chief Minister's image as a national leader has been sullied. On Left, Right & Centre tonight, we debate if Trinamool's efforts to distance themselves from Partha Chatterjee are enough to save Mamata Banerjee's reputation.

In a huge setback to many in the opposition, the Supreme Court upheld almost all the stringent provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in proceeds of crime, search and seizure, power of arrest, attachment of properties, and bail, which were all challenged in court. Tonight, on Left, Right & Centre - given the massive rise in the number of Enforcement Directorate cases under the PMLA and the very low rate of conviction, we ask - has the ED become a tool of political vendetta?

Amid worries over four monkeypox cases in India, vaccine-maker Adar Poonawalla said today that the Serum Institute of India is spending its own funds to import a few million doses of a Danish smallpox vaccine which can be used to treat cases if there is a larger breakout of the infection in India. The initial consignment of the small pox vaccine, manufactured by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic, could be here in a few months once a contract is signed.

India has a new President, Droupadi Murmu - a tribal leader with a proven track record as a teacher, MLA, Minister and Governor. But is her nomination largely symbolic, and have any of our political parties done enough to further tribal rights?