This week on NL Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Jayashree Arunachalam and Anand Vardhan are joined by Hartosh Singh Bal, political editor of the Caravan.The discussion starts with senior Congress leader Ashwani Kumar quitting the party and whether this will impact the Congress’s future prospects. Abhinandan calls it “one of the best things that could have happened to the Congress in years”, while Raman describes Kumar and other senior leaders as “dead wood”.The conversation shifts to the assembly election in Punjab, particularly the chief minister's comments on keeping “bhaiyas” from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar out of the state. The panel analyses how cultural stereotypes are used and why they are problematic. Moving on to Karnataka, the panel talks about the hijab row and whether it will impact the assembly elections.This and a lot more, only on NL Hafta.To listen to the full episode, subscribe to Newslaundry. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.