Podcasts · ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash

EP-412 | The 'Real' Samosa Caucus 8.0 Edition | Abhijit, Anand, Sushant & Tehseen

6 May 2026 · 2 h 57 min · Episode 412

The much-awaited episode of The ‘Real’ Samosa Caucus – Edition 8.0 is here, packed with raw, uncensored, and no-holds-barred conversations.

Joining the panel are:

Sushant Sareen, Senior Fellow at ORF

Tehseen Poonawalla, TV personality and political analyst

Anand Ranganathan, author and scientist

Abhijit Iyer-Mitra, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies

This episode discusses the recently conducted Assembly polls in Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Assam; the Iran war; the Trump phenomenon; Pakistan’s stature after the war.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction

01:59 – Story of Anga, Banga & Kalinga

03:14 – Cold-Pressed Oils & ‘Adult-Rated’ Banter

06:17 – Fall of Mamata Banerjee’s Regime

14:48 – Fragmentation of Communities

19:30 – Nashik TCS Case

21:24 – Impact of SIR in Bengal

26:01 – BJP Started Mirroring the Left?

29:48 – Indo-Bangladesh Border Fencing

35:01 – Japanese & Bengali Food Connection

39:31 – Vijay Benefitted From Annamalai’s Groundwork?

50:40 – Politics of Fielding Controversial Candidates

54:29 – Raghav Chadha’s BJP Entry

59:46 – Rajnath Singh’s Comment on Terrorism

1:01:41 – Indian Muslims’ Support for Iran

1:11:02 – US Deputy Secretary’s Remarks on Trade Deal

1:30:39 – Left-Liberal Ecosystem Debate

1:53:29 – ‘Maach Bhaat’ Politics in Bengal

1:59:07 – The Fall of INDIA Bloc ‘Titans’

2:04:27 – Anand’s Parents’ Love Story

2:11:24 – Importance of Punctuality & Time Management

2:16:08 – Veg vs Non-Veg Discussion

2:32:42 – Who Will Be Next Keralam CM?

2:40:39 – India’s Economic Challenges Amid West Asia War

2:46:20 – Why India Needs Big Reforms

The episode on the publisher’s site ↗ (opens in a new tab)