In Episode 24 of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Leena Reghunath discuss Bengaluru’s migrants vs Kannadigas issue and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar’s criticism aimed at the Supreme Court’s powers. Also part of the discussion are comedian and writer Nithin Kamath, lawyer Suhrith Parthasarathy, and TNM’s Anisha Sheth.
On the Bengaluru debate, Dhanya says, “For many Kannadigas, this isn’t just about language. It’s really about erasure. There is a fear among locals that their city, culture, and identity is being sidelined.”
Anisha adds, “It’s become an argument over a fight for economic resources — land, water, all of these things. And that’s acquired a kind of belligerence on all sides.”
Nithin observes, “On social media, anything related to Kannada, Karnataka, or Bengaluru has become a keyword of sorts. People lace Kannada sentiments into any issue, like with the Shiladitya Bose road rage incident. By the time the facts come out, the damage is already done.”
Pooja says, “Bengaluru is a welcoming city. We don’t care what the accent is, if the words are right, we’re just so happy that somebody is making an effort. But there is a language of disrespect that doesn’t need translation. When somebody makes everything about ‘you people’ versus ‘us people’, when you’re unwilling to even acknowledge the local culture, forget respecting it, that is where these fissures happen.”
As the conversation shifts to Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar’s remarks on the Supreme Court, Suhrith Parthasarathy says, “Our constitutional design is such that the judiciary, which comprises an unelected body of members and judges, will act as a check on not just executive excesses but also legislative excesses.”
On the Supreme Court’s verdict on the role of governors, Leena points out, “What the court has done is just take the vision of the constitution-makers and say, do your job for what you were appointed. Be a constitutional head, a sagacious counselor, pour oil over troubled waters. That is not what is playing out now.”
All this and more—tune in.
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Audio Timecodes
00:00:36- Support TNM
00:01:01- Introduction
00:02:16 -Pahalgam Terror Attack
00:11:43 -Bengaluru Debate
00:51:05- VP vs. Supreme Court
01:15:21 - Letters
01:21:58 - Recommendations
References
They shot him, told me to tell Modi': Chilling account of Kashmir terror attack
Inside Bengaluru’s ‘Kannadiga vs Outsider’ divide
Bengaluru road rage case: Police book car driver, IAF officer unnamed in FIR
The SC ruling reining in the Governor is a boost to federalism
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Produced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali.