South Central 94: Veeramani case, Reporter TV raid and ECI dissent How did allegations against a powerful mining baron remain buried for years, despite the police being alerted? Newslaundry · Sep 29
South Central 93: Could AI destroy humanity? What’s happening in Telangana politics? Could AI really threaten humanity by the end of this decade, or are tech companies using the fear of AI to push for more control over the technology? Newslaundry · Sep 21
South Central 92: Justice Madan Lokur on SIR, fear in judiciary | Meta’s CSAM problem In this week’s South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna are joined by former Supreme Court judge Madan Lokur to discuss a wide range of issues - from the cancellation of law school convocations following student protests against the CJI to mass voter roll discrepancies and the judiciary's hesitation… Newslaundry · Sep 15
South Central 90: India’s new anti-reservation drama, CM Vijay’s Parandur decision Was scrapping the Parandur airport project the right call for Chennai, or could the Vijay government’s decision hurt Tamil Nadu’s industrial ambitions? Newslaundry · Aug 31
South Central 89: India’s food safety crisis and BJP’s political reshuffle In this week’s episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss raids and inspections across the country at restaurants and the prevalence of contaminated food even at top-end eateries. They are joined by food influencer and author Krish Ashok, and TNM reporter Shivani Kava. Newslaundry · Aug 24
Vikram’s Lar Gibbon video and TN Speaker’s anti-abortion speak In this week’s South Central, hosts Pooja Prasanna and Anisha Sheth first discuss the problem of exotic animals across the world being taken into private custody. They are joined by independent journalists Siddharth Prabhakar and M Rajshekhar. Newslaundry · Aug 17
Protest to crackdown: The aftermath of Jantar Mantar In this week’s South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna discuss the aftermath of the Jantar Mantar protests, led by the Cockroach Janta Party. They are joined by senior journalist and editor of The Wire, Seema Chisti, and Peek TV co-founder Vedanta Agarwal. Newslaundry · Aug 3
South Central 85: How the Gen Z protest is different In this week’s South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna discuss the protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and the police violence unleashed on the protestors. The violence has injected new life into the Cockroach Janta Party’s resistance, with gatherings happening across the country. They are joined by journalists Smita… Newslaundry · Jul 27
South Central 84: INDIA bloc’s drift towards BJP and how India perceives child abuse In this week’s South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss the churning in the country’s political Opposition, with several allies of the Congress now warming up to the ruling BJP. They are joined by senior journalist and author Neerja Chowdhury and journalist Arvind Gunasekar. In the second… Newslaundry · Jul 20
South Central 82: Losing your vote and passport | PE in Kerala hospitals In this week's South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss senior journalist R Rajagopal’s letter regarding the removal of his name from the electoral rolls, denying him renewal of his passport. The hosts are joined by R Rajagopal himself and Shivasundar, a senior activist and researcher who… Newslaundry · Jul 6
The Indian judge behind the UN’s scathing Gaza report More than 20,000 Palestinian children killed. Over 44,000 injured. 97 percent of Gaza's schools damaged or destroyed. And a clear pattern of Palestinian children being deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces. Newslaundry · Jul 3
South Central 81: Ayodhya Ram temple trust allegations and the politics of defections Was the lack of structure in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust by design? With allegations of corruption surfacing in the temple’s management, does the buck stop at the Prime Minister’s door? Newslaundry · Jun 29
LME in Hyderabad as SIR stokes fear 89 lakh voter records in Telangana have been flagged for scrutiny during the Election Commission's pre-SIR exercise. For officials, these are records that need to be checked. But for many voters, SIR has raised a worrying question: What if a spelling mistake, an old address, or mismatched documents affect their… Newslaundry · Jun 22
Being a Dalit feminist on social media and illegal mining in Tamil Nadu In this week’s South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss the recent political developments in Tamil Nadu and the resignation of the BJP’s former state head, Annamalai. They are joined by senior journalist RK Radhakrishnan. Newslaundry · Jun 15
Newslaundry · Jun 7 South Central 78: Annamalai says bye to BJP – Reasons and what’s in store In this week’s South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss the recent political developments in Tamil Nadu and the resignation of the BJP’s former state head, Annamalai. They are joined by senior journalist RK Radhakrishnan.
Newslaundry · May 31 South Central 77: Karnataka after Siddaramaiah and rise of Cockroach Janta Party In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss the cabinet change in Karnataka and what Siddaramaiah’s resignation will mean for the state’s politics. They are joined by professor and commentator Prithvi Datta Chandra Shobhi.
Newslaundry · May 24 South Central 76: TVK’s social media game in Tamil Nadu and anti-SIR debate In this episode of South Central, hosts Pooja Prasanna and Anisha Sheth first discuss the unprecedented use of social media in Tamil Nadu by Vijay’s TVK and whether it has reshaped politics in the state. They are joined by journalist and translator Kavitha Muralidharan and TNM’s Associate Editor Nandini Chandrasekhar.
Newslaundry · May 17 South Central 75: Is it time to do away with NEET? In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss the NEET exam paper leak and the subsequent developments. In the second part of the discussions, the hosts discuss the austerity measures announced by PM Modi, including a ban on exports and judicious use of oil…
Newslaundry · May 10 South Central 74: Vijay, the Governor and future of INDIA alliance In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna discuss the political developments in Tamil Nadu and the national implications of the fallout between DMK and Congress. They are joined by TNM’s Tamil Nadu bureau chief, Shabbir Ahmed, journalist and political analyst Rasheed Kidwai, and K Venkataramanan,…
Newslaundry · May 3 TN and Kerala exit polls: Believable or not? In the first part of this week’s South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna discuss the Kerala and Tamil Nadu exit polls and the recent political developments in both states. They are joined by TNM’s Tamil Nadu bureau chief Shabbir Ahmed, Kerala bureau chief Haritha John, and senior reporter…
Newslaundry · Apr 26 South Central 72: The delimitation question and Telangana caste survey In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss delimitation and what states should now be discussing with the Union government. They are joined by former IAS officer, banker, and author Rangarajan Ramakrishnan.
Newslaundry · Apr 19 South Central 71: Delimitation row, alliances and what will decide the vote in Tamil Nadu In this episode of South Central, Pooja Prasanna and Azeefa Fathima discuss the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections with RK Radhakrishnan, Ramya Kannan, and Dr C Lakshmanan.
Newslaundry · Apr 12 ‘BJP’s double engine a joke’: Interview with PTR Ahead of the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Palanivel Thiagarajan (PTR), the state Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services, spoke to TNM’s Pooja Prasanna and outlined the DMK government’s performance and its pitch for a second term.
Newslaundry · Apr 12 South Central 70: Can Vijay break DMK–AIADMK hold? | Bennix–Jayaraj case: Why verdict stands out In this episode on South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. They are joined by The Deccan Herald’s Assistant Editor Sivapriyan and journalist and translator Kavitha Muralidharan.
Newslaundry · Mar 29 South Central 68: The electoral mood in Kerala, trans bill horror South Central turns to Kerala this week: will Pinarayi Vijayan make a comeback, or can the United Democratic Front cash in on anti-incumbency? Hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna are joined by senior journalists MG Radhakrishnan and Sreejan Balakrishnan, along with TNM’s Kerala bureau chief Haritha John, to unpack the…