This week on NL Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri and Raman Kirpal are joined by Nishtha Gautam, senior editor at the Quint, and Scroll.in journalist  Arunabh Saikia.The discussion starts with the invasion of Ukraine which has been termed as a “special military operation” by Russia. The panel talks about US president Joe Biden’s recent speech and threats of sanctions against the Russian government. Raman calls Vladimir Putin’s orders the “work of a mad man”.The conversation shifts to polling in Uttar Pradesh as the panel discusses the role of caste. They speak about BSP chief Mayawati’s impact despite her party being a weak opposition. “BSP supporters will vote for Mayawati regardless of the people in power,” Arunabh says.They also talk about the recent murder of a Bajrang Dal activist in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district.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.