As Narendra Modi begins his third term as Prime Minister with a coalition cabinet, Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of hardliner Rashtriya Sewak Sangh - RSS - the ideological patron of Modi's BJP, made a rare speech indicating his general displeasure with the direction of Indian politics.
On the other hand, in a rather surprising turn of events, there has been a brief exchange of posts on social media site X - formerly Twitter - between the prime ministers of the South Asian arch-rivals Pakistan and India. Nirupama Subramanian, an accomplished journalist and writer joined host Marvi Sirmed to unpack the recent events in Indian politics. Subramanian has previously been a foreign correspondent in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, providing invaluable insights into the political dynamics of the region. Currently, she serves as an independent journalist and continues to contribute to the understanding of South Asian politics and international relations.
Subramanian explains that Modi’s priority is to signal nothing has changed after the recent polls, and he would show continuity, despite only being in a contextual alliance with coalition partners. She further adds that BJP has Modi’s rivals specifically those who are sidelined by him and are waiting to speak up about him. Regarding relations with Pakistan, Subramanian says that a “barrage of Track-II” events are taking place which show a diplomatic effort, and yet Pakistan would have to make the first move in public if further progress is to be made, as Pakistan called off trade ties.
Tune into the recent episode of #Unraveled with Marvi Sirmed for more insights.