ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash

Pankaj Saran is a former diplomat with over 40 years of experience in foreign policy, strategy, and national security. He has served as India’s Ambassador to Russia and Bangladesh, Deputy National Security Adviser, and worked in the Prime Minister’s Office under Dr Manmohan Singh. He has also been posted at the Indian Mission in Washington, D.C. He is currently the Convenor of NatStrat, a Delhi-based independent centre for research on strategic and security issues.

In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Ambassador Saran explains why India’s silence on the Iran war is being seen as aligning with the US and Israel. He says Pakistan is not a mediator, but a messenger in the conflict. He also talks about how Pakistan built close ties with the Trump administration, and whether India missed a chance to play a bigger role in stopping the war. The conversation also touches on the film Dhurandhar and why India chose not to retaliate after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction
00:53 – West Asia War Overview
05:47 – Decision-Making in War
09:18 – India’s Stand on Iran War
12:16 – LPG Supply Crisis
17:52 – Gulf Nations Under Attack
19:55 – Warfare Strategies
27:41 – Pakistan as Mediator in Iran War
36:26 – Should India Mediate Iran War?
38:44 – Iran’s Global Position
42:26 – China & Russia's stand
58:38 – India’s Strategic Silence
1:04:45 – Can India Build AI Without U.S.?
1:08:57 – Did India Misread Iran Situation?
1:11:29 – 2008 Mumbai Attacks
1:22:45 – Dhurandhar Movie

Manickam Tagore is an Indian National Congress MP representing the Virudhunagar constituency in Tamil Nadu. He serves as Whip of the Congress Party in the Lok Sabha and is the All India Congress Committee in-charge of Andhra Pradesh.

In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he discusses the Opposition’s strategy in Parliament, the DMK–Congress alliance, actor Vijay, freebies politics, Congress’ organisational challenges, and the BJP’s presence in Tamil Nadu.

*Timestamps*

00:00 - Introduction
00:22 - Lok Sabha Suspension Revoked
04:25 - DMK–Congress Alliance
08:16 - National Parties in Tamil Nadu
16:28 - Modi vs Rahul Popularity
21:27 - Power Sharing with DMK
26:08 - The Vijay Challenge
35:58 - Tamil Nadu Media
37:21 - Alliance Dynamics in Tamil Nadu
40:24 - Politics of Freebies
46:57 - Rahul as Congress Face
49:42 - Why Rahul Gets Angry
53:50 - Digital Marketing by Political Parties
55:42 - Ravneet Singh Bittu
1:04:28 - Congress Cadre
1:14:23 - Caste Politics in Tamil Nadu

Swaminathan Gurumurthy is the editor of the Tamil political weekly Thuglak. An auditor by training and an ideologue by conviction, he has spent decades at the intersection of economics, politics and civilisational debate. From his investigations into corporate power in the 1980s involving Reliance Industries to his critique of globalisation and role in shaping the intellectual ecosystem of the RSS, he has remained an influential and outspoken voice in India’s public life.

In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he discusses the DMK-Congress alliance, actor Vijay, Sanatana Dharma, Tamil Nadu politics and RSS.

Gurumurthy outlines the structural and ideological challenges the BJP faces in Tamil Nadu, shaped by decades of Dravidian politics and alliance-driven electoral dynamics.

He also speaks candidly about Ramnath Goenka, Dhirubhai Ambani, Indira Gandhi-era politics and his clashes with corporate power in India.

Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction
02:14 - Dravidian Politics
14:43 - DMK-Congress Alliance
21:25 - Can Vijay Challenge DMK?
25:42 - Tamil Nadu’s Cultural Ethos
33:56 - Electoral Shifts in Tamil Nadu
40:43 - BJP’s Challenge in Tamil Nadu
48:05 - Tamil Cultural Media
51:46 - Anti-Hindu Politics in Tamil Nadu
55:58 - Story Behind ‘Guru’ Movie
58:51 - Ties with Ramnath Goenka
1:08:20 - Dhirubhai Ambani Investigations
1:10:35 - Advisory Role in Corporate Family Disputes
1:17:12 - Political Engagement Across Parties
1:24:28 - Congress’s Leadership Crisis
1:32:58 - West Asia Conflict
1:39:33 - BJP’s Outreach to Minorities
1:49:03 - Views on the Gandhi Family
1:54:21 - BJP-RSS Coordination

Daniel Benaim served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the U.S. State Department. He previously advised President Joe Biden on West Asia policy and has worked at the White House and the U.S. Senate. He also wrote speeches for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other senior U.S. officials. He closely follows developments in West Asia and U.S. foreign policy.

In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Daniel says that the U.S. miscalculated the Iran war and wasn’t fully prepared. He explains how Iran may be “winning without winning”, and why Gulf countries feel let down by the conflict. He also talks about Iran’s use of the Strait of Hormuz as a key lever, and why India’s approach to the crisis appears measured and pragmatic.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction
00:52 – Who’s Winning Iran War?
05:36 – Future of Iranian Regime
08:32 – Will U.S. Deploy Troops to Iran?
11:28 – Strait of Hormuz Blockade
14:51 – Future of Alliances in West Asia
19:57 – Will Gulf Nations Attack Iran?
23:00 – Russia & China on Iran War
24:10 – Trump Delays Beijing Visit
25:21 – Did Trump Miscalculate Iran?
30:46 – Biden or Clinton: Response to Iran War
32:35 – Will Iran Surrender?
34:28 – Trump Opening New War Fronts?
37:30 – If Iran Survives, Who Wins?
40:38 – Saudi-Pakistan Ties
44:17 – Do Americans Support Iran War?
49:46 – Iran’s Missile Capacity
52:41 – Did Biden Give $6 Billion to Iran?
55:48 – Iran’s Nuclear Program
58:21 – India’s Stand on Iran War
1:00:39 – Will India Pick a Side in Iran War?
1:04:27 – What Does Saudi Want from Pakistan?
1:06:56 – Who Can Mediate Iran War?
1:08:39 – Will Iranian Regime Survive?
1:10:47 – Who is Face of the Democrats?
1:12:29 – Evolving India-U.S. Ties

What lessons can India learn from the Iran war? How have drones proved to be a game-changer in modern warfare? How is Iran using ‘Shahed’ drones to carry out attacks on Israel and Gulf nations? How can Artificial Intelligence be integrated into defence systems? What impact could this conflict have on the global defence industry? How are Gulf nations looking at their security today?

In this edition of ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Lt Gen Raj Shukla (Retd.), former General Officer Commanding of the Army Training Command and a noted military strategist, answers these questions and explains the changing nature of modern warfare.

00:00 – Coming Up
00:30 – Global Impact of Iran War
04:18 – U.S. Operation Against Maduro
07:14 – U.S. Objectives in Iran
10:53 – U.S. Military Strength
15:20 – Iran’s Counterattack
21:16 – Implications of Iran War
22:27 – Iran’s Shahed Drones
32:07 – U.S.–Israel Tech Alliance
41:34 – India’s Role in Global Tensions
46:45 – China’s High-Tech Warfare
50:14 – India’s Defence System
58:49 – Attack on IRIS Dena
1:00:31 – India’s Strategic Partners
1:10:12 – Iran’s Strikes on the Gulf
1:13:28 – Private Sector in National Security