ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash

Richard R. Verma is the first American of Indian descent to serve as the US Ambassador to India from 2014 to 2017. He currently serves as the Deputy Secretary of State for Management & Resources. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, where he served on active duty as a Judge Advocate. His military decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal and Air Force Commendation Medal.

In the latest episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Richard R. Verma discusses the aim behind his visit to India and shares the cooperation between the two states for strengthening India-US ties. He also talks about his experience in India during his tenure as the US Ambassador to India.

Additionally, he discusses pro-Khalistani protests in the U.S. and how Washington D.C. is planning to deal with them. He also speaks on defence relations between India and the US, calling the relationship robust and as diverse as it is today. He also talks about the US defence relationship with Pakistan.

The world's biggest festival of democracy is underway in India. Drama, spectacle, colour, jibes, and exuberant noise—India is witnessing everything. But what about its neighbours? How are they watching the Indian Election 2024? Who do they want in power: a strong independent government or a coalition one? How will the 2024 India General election shape neighbours' foreign policies? We will get all the answers.

Joining this podcast are two esteemed experts, Ajay Bisaria and Tilak Devasher. Bisaria is a Distinguished Fellow at ORF. He served as the Indian High Commissioner to Canada and India's envoy to Pakistan, Poland, and Lithuania. He also authored the book "Anger Management: The Troubled Diplomatic Relationship Between India and Pakistan," which is discussed in the show.

Tilak Devasher is the author of three widely acclaimed books on Pakistan. He retired as Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India in October 2014. He is currently a member of the National Security Advisory Board.

In this episode, experts discuss how China is extending its trade ties with Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Myanmar, which pose high-risk points for Indian territories. They further talk about dealing with the Taliban government, terrorism of insurgent groups in Myanmar, and relations with the Pakistan government. And how should India deal with the New Maldivian government, which ran an 'India Out' Campaign.

Dr. Vinay Prabhakar Sahasrabuddhe served as a Rajya Sabha member from 2016 to 2022 and held the position of Vice President in the BJP from 2014 to 2020. He also assumed the role of President at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, a government organization fostering cultural exchanges between India and other nations. He is recognized as a key figure in the BJP's think tank. He had spearheaded training initiatives for ministers hailing from BJP-governed states.

In the recent episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he discusses how India can exercise its soft power and emphasizes the necessity for the country to engage in this practice. He suggests India should leverage its rich traditions and heritage, exemplified by Bollywood movies and yoga.

He also highlights Prime Minister Modi's leadership skills. He addresses critics of Sanatana, asserting that the term is eternal, and those who criticize it often lack a proper understanding of its meaning. Dr. Sahasrabuddhe contends that the perception of many is still heavily influenced by Western civilization and storytelling.

He also addresses 'Hindi imposition' allegations against the central government. Furthermore, He argues that the Centre has no intention to rewrite or revise history but rather to revisit it with a fresh perspective.

Milinda Moragoda is a Sri Lankan politician who is currently serving as the 22nd High Commissioner to India since 2020. In his decade-long political career, Mr. Moragoda served as principal government negotiator in the peace talks of 2002-2004. He has also served as cabinet minister for economic reform, science and technology, tourism, justice and law reform in the Sri Lankan government. Mr Moragoda played an important role in getting financial assistance from New Delhi after Sri Lanka plunged into an economic crisis in 2022. Apart from being a diplomat and politician, Mr Moragoda is also a successful entrepreneur and also has experience of over two decades in the media industry. He currently serves as chairman of the MMBL-Pathfinder Group, a privately held investment group, and has hosted television and radio shows in both Sinhala and English. In this edition of Podcast with Smita Prakash and Naveen Kapoor, Moragoda talks about his close ties with top officials of the Indian government and how India went all out to provide timely assistance to the island nation during the economic crisis. He also talks about Indian concern over Hambantota port, which is run by the Chinese, and how it has affected India-Sri Lanka ties. He also talks about the inheritance of debt which pushed the tourism-dependent nation into crisis.

Yogi Adityanath is the two-time chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and head seer of the Gorakhnath Math. Prior to this, he also had the feat of becoming the youngest MP at the age of 26 after he was elected to the lower house of parliament from Gorakhpur parliamentary constituency of the state of Uttar Pradesh in 1998 after his Guru Mahant Avaidyanath chose to retire from active politics and declared Adityanath as his successor. He is also termed as an undefeated parliamentarian as he won consecutive parliamentary elections from 1998 to 2014. Unlike other politicians, he is always dressed in a saffron dress and wears his Hindu identity as pride and is projected as a Hindutva hardliner by his political opponents. However, he is also termed as a firebrand CM for his government model and actions against the mafia, which have been adopted by many other chief ministers in other parts of the country. In this edition of ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash recorded in the city of Lucknow, Yogi Adityanath speaks about his early days and his transformational journey from Ajay Singh Bisht to head seer of the Gorakhnath Math of Nath community situated in the city of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. In this enlightening conversation, the monk turned politician also talks about religion, spirituality and how it helps one in the path of divine pursuit through service to people. He also talks about his family and how a young science student decided to become a Sanyasi. Yogi Adityanath also talks about his governance model and explains how he has been able to successfully ensure peace in Uttar Pradesh by acting against mafias in his little more than six years of tenure. He further talks about the I.N.D.I.A alliance, Kashi Vishwanath temple – Gyanvapi row, violence during polls in the state of West Bengal and raises his suspicion behind Manipur violence.