The Interview With Karan Thapar

There’s growing apprehension that the government could bring the Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment Bill to parliament in the last few days of the monsoon session. It’s silence on this matter is not reassuring. Meanwhile, the opposition and the Christian community in particular strongly oppose the bill. They’ve called it undemocratic, unconstitutional, dangerous and deeply alarming. Today we examine the bil...

The credibility of Modi govt depends on fulfilling its promise to restore statehood to J&K: Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, to Karan Thapar for The Wire.

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August the 5th was seven years since the abrogation of Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir’s loss of statehood. Whilst most people have accepted that the abrogation is irrevocable, the Modi government has promised t...

If restoration of statehood in J&K depends on BJP coming to power we could wait 100s of years: Radha Kumar, Co-chairperson, Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir, to Karan Thapar for The Wire.

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Today, August the 5th, is seven years since the abrogation of Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir’s loss of statehood. Whilst most people have accepted that the abrogation is irrevocable, t...

Did "uncertainty and the meaninglessness of life" fuel student protests?: Prof. Suhas Palshikar, Chief Editor, Studies in Indian Politics, to Karan Thapar for The Wire.

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How should we assess the outcome of last week’s student protests? Is there a wider message that they have signalled? For the government? For the country? And how should we view the future of the Cockroach Janata Party and ...

Gen Z has lost its fear & will not be silent & helpless in face of Modi govt excesses & injustices: Neha Bora, National President, AISA, to Karan Thapar for The Wire.

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Is Saturday’s agreement between the Modi government and the Cockroach Janta Party secure or is it in danger of being breached? Will the Bihar government apologize for its police constable firing an AK-47 at the p...

Student protest success a personal defeat for Modi; his self-confidence will weaken: Aakar Patel, Author and Chairman Amnesty India, to Karan Thapar for The Wire.

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Today we focus on the outcome of the Cockroach Janata Party’s protest culminating in Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Was this a defeat for the government and how significant was it? Who deserves the credit? Abhijeet Dipk...

Was Chief Justice's refusal to take up student case irresponsible? Dushyant Dave calls it "failure of constitutional duty": Dushyant Dave to Karan Thapar for The Wire.

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On Wednesday when a lawyer attempted to convince the Supreme Court to admit a case about how the fundamental rights of young students had been breached when they were beaten up by the police and miscreants the Chief Justice refus...

In 1947 India came far closer to balkanization than we realize: Josy Joseph, Author, Birth of a Nation: The Twenty-One Days That Made India, to Karan Thapar for The Wire.

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How close did India come to balkanization in 1947? A recent book, based on previously unseen documents from the archives of India, suggests that the last 21 days before independence were critical. During that period several st...

I stand with the protesting students; this is not the India I love; I don't take Modi seriously: Naseeruddin Shah to Karan Thapar for The Wire.

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My guest today is probably one of the greatest actors on the Indian screen. Many rightly consider him an actor’s actor. Earlier today he posted a video expressing his anguish and deep concern about the way protesting students have been treated in ...

Sonam Wangchuk symbolizes the best of India; the Modi government badly mishandled his fast: Ramachandra Guha to Karan Thapar for The Wire.

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For 21 days Sonam Wangchuk has fasted to try and force Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign over the NEET issue. This morning the government forcibly took him to Safdarjung Hospital to end his fast. However, his wife, Gitanjali Angmo, has tweeted ...

The cow belt has hijacked the future of India and is the curse of our politics: Author and Lawyer, Javed Gaya, to Karan Thapar for The Wire.

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Has the cow belt hijacked the future of India? Is its influence the curse of Indian politics? Is India in danger of being consumed by its past? And does the baleful influence of Uttar Pradesh dominate Indian politics? In his recent book ‘Heartland Ri...

President Trump has tweeted that the ceasefire is over but talks with Iran will continue. Can such talks be credible? Does Trump face a dilemma? If he opts to renew the war, his hopes of resolving the Iran nuclear issue could be dashed. If he restrains himself to secure a peace deal, he will have to accept Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz. On the other hand, has Iran overplayed its hand? Under the Memorandum of Understa...

Claim passport only travel document serious mistake and government should apologize: Justice Madan Lokur, former Supreme Court Judge, to Karan Thapar for The Wire.

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One of India’s most highly regarded former Judges of the Supreme Court, who is presently Chairperson of the United Nations Internal Justice Council, says that the statement made by the government that an Indian passport is &l...

Andy Burnham’s emphatic victory in a bye-election in Makerfield has probably sealed Keir Starmer’s fate as prime minister of Great Britain. Initially Starmer refused to go. In fact he repeatedly said he would fight to keep the job. But now there’s speculation he could resign as early as later today. So this morning we ask what do the next few weeks hold for him? What sort of prime minister has he been? And what ca...

In a strong and passionate defence of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, the well-known and highly regarded Trinamool Lok Sabha MP, Mahua Moitra, has forcefully said: “The real Trinamool is Mamata Banerjee and she will return to power.” Mahua Moitra said: “The Trinamool Congress is a Party that was started by Mamata Banerjee and gets its legitimacy, gets its vote, gets its mandate from Mamata Banerjee. So any ...

On the day the Trinamool Congress Party split at the Lok Sabha level in Delhi, following its earlier split at the legislature level in Bengal, one of its most highly regarded Lok Sabha MPs, Saugata Roy, has said that the Party is in serious crisis adding that he is no defender of Abhishek Banerjee and accepting that in the ultimate analysis Mamata Banerjee is responsible for what’s happened. However, Dr. Roy said that he woul...

In a hard-hitting and unremitting interview, the former Law Minister and former Human Resource Development Minister, Kapil Sibal, who is also one of the leading lawyers presenting the Gymkhana Club’s case in Court, has said that the government is seeking to acquire the Gymkhana Club not on the grounds it has argued in its letter of May 22, 2026 but for three other reasons i.e. “Bureaucratic greed, lack of democratic ins...

Is the state of the Indian economy “near-crisis”? Is weak private investment the key problem? Despite the government’s well-intentioned reforms are its deeper instincts and habits putting off investors? And is the solution changing personnel at ministerial, technocratic and bureaucratic levels? And does that in fact mean it’s time to replace Nirmala Sitharaman as Finance Minister? Those are the views of my g...

In an interview to discuss how he views Rahul Gandhi as a leader of Congress and Leader of the Opposition, the well-known and highly regarded historian, author and political commentator, Ramachandra Guha, says Rahul Gandhi is a dilettante, who lacks commitment and certainly lacks charisma and is unlikely to ever make it to Prime Minister of India. Ramachandra Guha says: : “Rahul Gandhi may be a good fellow; nonetheless, those...