We The People

Maharashtra government has banned beef in the state. The ML Khattar government in Haryana is likely to be next where the BJP manifesto in the state equated cow slaughter with homicide. On We The People, we debate: is banning beef fair in a multicultural society? Is the ban about respecting sentiments or an unpalatable infringement of freedom? Has the 'live and let live' slogan been slaughtered on the political altar? And is Congress playing both ways by taking an ambiguous stand on the ban?

On 'We The People', from the historic Amar Mahal Museum in Jammu, we discuss the implications of the newly-formed PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir. Are the contradictions in the coalition too innate for it to survive? And, were the headlines today distracted by Chief Minister Sayeed's comments on Pakistan? Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh also joins the show.

On this episode of We The People, we debate whether the government is on a collision course with NGOs with the red flag to Greenpeace? Is funding of NGOs and the foreign 'hand' behind them a real concern about India's NGOs or just a bogey?

As the Aam Aadmi Party sweeps Delhi elections and gives to the capital city the youngest Cabinet in the country, on 'We The People', we ask: are AAP's promises realistic or over-ambitious? The party has promised cheap power, free water and 15 lakh CCTV cameras, but where is the money going to come from? We also debate: is personality politics the new reality for our netas? Does the young AAP Cabinet, with its average age just above 40, mark a generational shift in Indian politics? But why an all-male Cabinet; where is the 'aam aurat'? AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha, BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli, National Fellow at Indian Council of Social Science Research Professor Neera Chandhoke, Former Secretary in the Delhi Government Shakti Sinha, economist Dr Surjit Bhalla, author Ajoy Bose and newly-elected AAP MLA Sarita Singh debate whether AAP has written new rules of politics. Also joining the show are the men behind AAP's flash mobs and social media campaign: Bijender Sheoran, who worked for the BJP's campaign in

A young group of stand-up comedians are in the firing line after their show in Mumbai triggered a controversy and invited a series of complaints against the use of expletives and race and religion jokes. The Maharashtra government is now investigating the programme. On 'We The People', we debate: do Indians lack a sense of humour? Is the AIB being hounded and harassed by the state government? And does the popularity of AIB signal a generational shift in culture? But what about sexist jokes? Is sexism being dressed up as wit? Do some jokes go too far? Popular comedians Radhika Vaz, Suresh Menon, Neeti Palta and Sanjay Rajoura join the discussion along with BJP spokesperson Shaina NC, author and columnist Sreemoyee Piu Kundu, Catholic Secular Forum founder Brother Joseph Dias and former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar.

A paper at the Indian Science Congress this year claimed that planes flew between planets in ancient India. Is this a flight of fancy? While celebrating tradition, are we mixing metaphorical with literal? Or have many real achievements of ancient India - from discovering zero to first surgery - buried by Western education? On We The People, we debate whether myth-making is the new science fiction or has colonised education made us ignorant of our own past?

As the world tries to come to terms with the attack on Charlie Hebdo in France for publishing provocative cartoons, we debate whether the right to free speech can be an absolute, unfettered by sensitivities of others. Is the right to offend a key element of free speech? Does even tastelessness have a right to exist? Does free speech sometimes become hate speech? How should we respond as a liberal society to those questions?

Is the minimum education criteria set by the Rajasthan government for candidates contesting in the upcoming Panchayat elections progressive or elitist? Is an educated 'neta' a better leader? If so, why have a minimum educational requirement only for candidates for the Sarpanch's post, and not for Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly?

In the light of the recent calls from the BJP to end forced conversions through an anti-conversion law, we discuss whether mass conversions are about freedom or fear, escape from caste prejudice or enticement.

On the campaign trail in Jammu and Kashmir, We The People broadcasts from Srinagar. We debate: will these Assembly elections make a homecoming possible for Kashmiri Pandits? Is their rehabilitation just a political slogan? And will Pandit groups' demand of separate enclaves ensure the safety of Kashmiri Pandits or promote ghettoization?

On this special edition of We The People from Srinagar, we ask: will the Assembly elections script a new chapter? Are these elections of hope or hype? Can they heal the wounds of the Kashmir valley? Voices of all three regions - Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir - join the debate. What are their expectations from these elections? And what's the political messaging of the high voter turnout?

In this episode of We The People, we debate the proposal made by the head of the women's panel on legalising sex trade. India's laws on sex trade punish the pimp and the man soliciting but not the woman. Do they need more decriminalisation? A report estimates that India has 20 million sex workers; 16 million of them sold into the sex trade. Would legalising trade empower them?

India has more women who rely on sterilisation to prevent pregnancy than any other country. On this episode of We The People, we ask: why should the burden of family planning fall on women alone and whether the policy of providing financial incentives for sterilisation needs to be scrapped.

In this episode of 'We The People', Sonakshi Sinha takes on detractors and refuses "to look like a skeleton" - We debate whether the pressure to conform to a certain idea of body type or body image is driving women to anorexia.

In this episode of We The People, we explore the mind of the Muslim voter and what the debut of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) in the recently concluded Maharashtra assembly elections tells us about the failure of mainstream parties in giving assurance to the minority community. Is a 'Muslim' party really what the community needs?

In this episode of We the People, we debate: Invoking Gandhi, is it only symbolic or substantive and whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by appropriating for 'Swachh Bharat' campaign, revives a discarded political brand? We ask if history has become a battleground for politics?

Often described as one of the greatest and most talented actors of the theater world, Naseeruddin Shah is a man who has both lived and worked on his own terms. Known to never mince his words, he has now taken his embrace of honesty many steps further with a searingly candid autobiography 'And Then One Day'. In this book Naseeruddin Shah tells his own story, not only the story of how he became an actor but many other stories that are deeply personal to him. On We The People, a freewheeling conversation with one of the most formidable actors of Hindi cinema, Naseeruddin Shah.

On We The People, we debate: Can global 'jihad' network entangle Indian Muslims? Is the threat of homegrown 'jihadis' real or media stereotype? And does political correctness stop an honest debate on radicalization?

On We The People, we debate, why has the fringe phrase 'love jihad' entered mainstream politics? Why is inter-faith love, which should be a celebration of diversity, being dubbed as a conspiracy? Is 'love jihad' the BJP's new poll polariser in Uttar Pradesh? Is it a product of myth-making or real concerns? Shooter Tara Sahdev's brother joins the show to talk about his sister's allegations that she was tortured to convert to Islam after her marriage.

As the Kerala government moves to ban alcohol in the state, a debate on whether prohibition is an idea that should be supported or is it an archaic relic of the past?