The Wire Wrap | Podcast on RSS.com

The Wire Wrap

by The Wire

Voters Deleted, Exams Compromised: Who Will Answer?

The Supreme Court has upheld the Election Commission of India’s power to conduct a special intensive revision of voter rolls, and said that the EC must forward names of people deleted from voter rolls because of doubtful citizenship within four weeks. Meanwhile, students across ages and states have been raising serious concerns over the way examinations are conducted and evaluated, from the CBSE board exam to entrance exams like NEET. Jahnavi Sen discusses these issues with transparency rights activist Anjali Bhardwaj and The Wire's editor Seema Chishti.

Melody and India's Press Freedom Go Abroad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's five nation tour just days after he urged Indians to adopt austerity measures including not travelling abroad, has been in the headlines for reasons that have little to do with bilateral relations. Press freedom questions in Norway and the Netherlands, and a reel with Italian PM Georgia Meloni have been the major takeaways amid questions of how the Indian economy is coping in the aftermath of the shocks from the West Asia conflict. Meanwhile at home, Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant's remarks comparing unemployed youth to cockroaches and parasites has stirred a controversy, leading the CJI to issue a clarification of sorts. The Wire's senior political correspondent Sravasti Dasgupta is joined by Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, senior journalist and Ghazala Wahab, author and editor, Force Magazine.

Too Little, Too Late? PM Modi's Austerity Plan Won't Stop The Crisis

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the citizens of India to adopt some Covid era-like measures in light of the continuing West Asia crisis, including limiting the use of fuel and cooking oil, working from home, avoiding gold purchases and foreign travel, and reducing the usage of chemical fertilisers. Meanwhile across India’s industrial belt, reports of MSMEs freezing production and workers losing their jobs have been coming in. Jahnavi Sen is joined by Dr Himanshu, an economist at Jawaharlal Nehru University, and independent researcher and senior journalist Sukumar Muralidharan to discuss these issues.

A Crisis for Modi's Credibility, and a Crisis for India's Workers

It has been a week now since the Narendra Modi government’s three-Bill push for delimitation and an expanded Lok Sabha has failed, and it’s also today that the first phase in West Bengal and voting in Tamil Nadu are being held. Meanwhile, a large number of people in Noida have been arrested after the workers' protest, and the police and state government appear keen to mask the whole thing as a law and order issue. The Wire's Jahnavi Sen is joined by senior journalist Sanjay Jha and The Wire's Founding Editor M.K. Venu.

Modi-Shah's Push to Change Electoral Map Fails

The Narendra Modi government has failed to pass bills-The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 that sought to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 and delimitation through its stated objective of operationalising 33% reservation for women. The final vote in the Lok Sabha recorded 298 ‘ayes’ and 230 ‘noes’. There were 528 MPs present and voting. The government needed two-thirds majority to pass the bills, which was 352. It fell short by 54 votes. While the government has blamed the opposition for not bringing in women's reservation, the opposition has hailed victory for stopping "an unconstitutional trick in the name of women." The Wire's Sravasti Dasgupta is joined by Seema Chishti, editor, The Wire and Siddharth Varadarajan.

Who's the Biggest Loser of This War?

US President Donald Trump threatened genocidal action against Iran on Tuesday, recanting it only an hour before the deadline he had imposed to say that Iran’s 10-point peace proposal was “workable”. A two-week ceasefire was agreed upon, which is now on tenuous ground as Israel continues to bomb Lebanon. Meanwhile in India, the names of about 89 lakh voters were deleted from the West Bengal voters list just weeks before the first phase of polling. Jahnavi Sen is joined by senior journalist and commentator Saba Naqvi and The Wire’s Founding Editor Siddharth Varadarajan to talk about these issues.

West Asia War, Fuel Crisis, 'Dalal' Pakistan: Is All Well as Govt Says?

Almost a month after Israel and US started its war on Iran, leading to closure of the Strait of Hormuz and fuel disruptions in India the union government on Wednesday held an all party meeting to discuss its impact on India. While the government has said that there is enough supply to meet domestic needs, queues for fuel and shortages are being reported across the country. Meanwhile ahead of elections in Kerala the Election Commission has come under fire after a poll guideline document circulated to political parties bore a stamp of the BJP with opposition parties accusing the BJP and the poll body of swapping stamps. The Wire's Sravasti Dasgupta is joined by M.K. Venu, Founding Editor, The Wire and Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, senior journalist.

Sonam Wangchuk, Students' Detention, Textbooks: Where Do Courts Come in?

Two recent habeas corpus petitions – in the Sonam Wangchuk case and on the detention of 10 students and activists in Delhi – raise questions around police action and when and how the judiciary intervenes. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has not only banned a class 8 textbook but also told the government to no longer associate with some of the experts who drafted it. And in New York City, mayor Zohran Mamdani's remarks about Palestinian-American author Susan Abulhawa have caused a stir. To discuss all of this, The Wire's Jahnavi Sen is joined by lawyers Gautam Bhatia and Shahrukh Alam.

Why it's a Bad Idea for India to Side With US-Israel Over Iran

t has now been 13 days since the US and Israel attacked Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader Ayotallah Ali Khamenei. The US and Israel have not spared civilian sites in Iran, and heartbreaking images emerged on February 28 when a girl’s elementary school in Minab was hit and 165 schoolgirls were killed. Iran has retaliated to these aggressions by launching missiles at US military bases in Gulf states and at Israel, particularly in and around Tel Aviv. Iran has also effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s biggest oil shipping channel. The Wire's Jahnavi Sen discusses these developments, India's response and more with Professor Anuradha Chenoy, who taught at Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Ghazala Wahab, Editor of Force Magazine.

Gaza Genocide No Bar, Modi Says India Stands With Israel, 'Conspiracy' Behind IYC Shirtless Protest

Amid Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day visit to Israel and while addressing the parliament there he has said that India is fully committed in its support to Israel, while making no mention of the over 70,000 people killed in Netanyahu's genocidal actions. Back in India, criticism has mounted on the Modi government after the arrests of the IYC members following their protest at the AI summit last week and allegations of a conspiracy behind the demonstration. And the French government has firmly ruled out transferring the critical source codes for the SPECTRA electronic warfare suite and other core electronic systems as part of the ongoing negotiations with India for 114 Rafale fighter jets. The Wire's Sravasti Dasgupta is joined by Seema Chishti, editor, The Wire and Hartosh Singh Bal, editor, The Caravan.

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