Mani Shankar Aiyar

In Mani Ki Baat, Suneet Ke Sath, Mani Shankar joins his wife Suneet for candid conversations that weave together politics, history, and personal anecdotes.

[Mani Shankar Aiyar @ManiPodcast]

🎙️ Cockroaches or Angry Youth? | Oldies Talk to Gen Z | Mani Shankar x Gurmehar Kaur @mehartweets | Ep. 38

watch full video on YouTube: https://t.co/Z5ZcttFWwk

At 85, Mani Shankar Aiyar, joined by Suneet Vir Singh (80+), sits down with 28-year-old Gurmehar Kaur—named by TIME Magazine in 2017 among the “10 Most Influential Youth in the World”—to discuss the fallout of the CJI’s controversial remark on unemployed youth as “cockroaches.”

In light of the CJI’s subsequent clarification, this conversation shifts away from personalities and toward the deeper question: what does the meteoric rise of the not-yet-political “Cockroach Janata Party”—now claiming over 25 million followers—actually tell us about India’s youth?

Is this a replay of AAP’s early anti-establishment energy? A transient social media phenomenon? An elite, English-speaking movement of “Macaulay ki Aulad”? Or does it reflect something deeper—a serious stirring among frustrated Gen Z Indians disillusioned with politics as usual?

The discussion also examines the founder’s disavowal of any “outside influence,” and questions comparisons with student-led political upheavals in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Why has the Government responded sharply to these Instagram “Aandolanjeevi”? What explains the explosion of youth frustration, irony, satire, and political disengagement?

Three generations. Three perspectives. No easy answers.

Watch for a sober, nuanced discussion that captures the excitement of the moment while allowing for freewheeling exploration of where India’s youth politics may be headed next.

[Mani Shankar Aiyar @ManiPodcast]

🎙️ Vijay To Take Oath: Will Tamil Nadu’s Dravidian Politics Change Forever?| Ep. 33

watch full video on YouTube: https://t.co/KB7sldYKsS

[Mani Shankar Aiyar @ManiPodcast]

🎙️ SIR in West Bengal Elections: Democracy’s Death Knell? | Yogendra Yadav | Ep. 32
watch full video on Youtube : https://t.co/paIA4noQ1A

[Mani Shankar Aiyar @ManiPodcast]

🎙️ Iran War: Pakistan’s Stunning Rise — Real or Overhyped? | Mani Shankar Aiyar | Ep. 31
watch full video on YouTube : https://t.co/rl4aQQdq5q

[Mani Shankar Aiyar @ManiPodcast]

🎙️ Modi vs Stalin: The Delimitation War Begins | Mani Shankar Aiyar Podcast | Ep. 30

watch full video on youtube: https://t.co/dcz0Yesksw

[Mani Shankar Aiyar @ManiPodcast]

Why are Pakistan and Afghanistan fighting today? Former Vice President Hamid Ansari explains the deeper causes behind this conflict.
Watch the full conversation here: https://t.co/nKhpVIXHXW

[Mani Shankar Aiyar @ManiPodcast]

🎙️ First few minutes from our conversation with Ghazala Wahab @ghazalawahab Being Muslim Under Hindutva — a powerful and personal reflection on identity, belonging, and what it means to be Muslim in India today.

Watch the full episode here: https://t.co/vC6BgOIrBx

#podcast #indianmuslims #hindutva

[Mani Shankar Aiyar @ManiPodcast]

🎙️ Can the Congress be revived? | Mani Shankar & Digvijaya Singh | Ep. 22

In Episode 22 of Mani Ki Baat, Suneet Ke Sath, Mani Shankar Aiyar and Digvijaya Singh discuss the Congress party’s challenges, leadership, and revival roadmap.
Watch the first 11 minutes here. Full episode on YouTube (link below). https://t.co/0khcno1r4k

#congressparty #digvijayasingh #inc #congressleaders #indianpolitics

[Mani Shankar Aiyar @ManiPodcast]

🎙️ Iran War: Has Modi Backed the Losing Side? | ManiTalk | Episode 6 | Recorded March 4

⚠️ Recorded on 4 March: This episode of ManiTalk was recorded on 4 March. The situation in the Middle East is evolving rapidly, and significant developments may have occurred since the time of recording. In this episode of Mani Talk, veteran diplomat and former Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Mani Shankar Aiyar speaks directly to the camera to unpack the geopolitical consequences of the escalating Iran war and what it means for India’s foreign policy. Few Indian policymakers understand Iran and the geopolitics of West Asia as intimately as Mani Shankar Aiyar. As a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service and later as India’s Petroleum Minister, he played a pivotal role in negotiating the historic Iran–Pakistan–India (IPI) gas pipeline, engaging extensively with Iranian leadership and energy officials. His experience places him at the intersection of energy security, diplomacy, and strategic policy in the region. In this monologue, he raises a provocative question: Has India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, abandoned its long-standing doctrine of strategic autonomy in West Asia? For decades, India maintained a delicate balance in the Middle East — cultivating deep civilisational and economic ties with Iran while also engaging Israel, the Gulf states, and the United States. This careful balancing act allowed India to safeguard energy security, regional access, and diplomatic credibility. But has that balance now shifted? Mani Shankar Aiyar asks a series of uncomfortable but necessary questions: By aligning more openly with the United States and Israel, has India compromised its traditional independent stance in the region? Has New Delhi risked alienating Tehran at a moment when Iran remains central to Eurasian energy routes and regional stability? Could India’s posture during the current crisis expose it to strategic vulnerabilities in energy security and regional diplomacy? And in a rapidly escalating war, could India have inadvertently placed itself on the wrong side of history or strategy? In this candid and deeply informed monologue, Mani Shankar Aiyar examines whether India’s current approach to the Iran war serves India’s long-term strategic interests — or undermines them. If you want to understand the history, diplomacy, and geopolitical stakes behind India’s position in the Iran conflict, this episode of Mani Talk is essential viewing. #iranwar #iranisraelwar #middleeastwar #worldwar3 #westasiacrisis #straitofhormuz #globalgeopolitics

[Mani Shankar Aiyar @ManiPodcast]

🎙️ Will Iran Survive? | Pravin Sawhney & Mani Shankar Aiyar | Episode 20 | Recorded March 4

watch full video on YouTube, https://t.co/1Sun2sNLBc .

⚠️ Note: This episode was recorded on 4 March. Given the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East, some developments may have occurred since the time of recording.

In this explosive episode of Mani Ki Baat Suneet ke Saath, recorded on 4th March, veteran diplomat and former Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mani Shankar Aiyar, joins host Suneet Aiyar to examine the rapidly unfolding crisis in West Asia.

Drawing from his firsthand experience negotiating the historic Iran–Pakistan–India (IPI) gas pipeline, Mani Shankar Aiyar offers rare insight into the energy geopolitics of Iran, the Gulf, and the wider Middle East.

Joining the discussion is Pravin Sawhney, editor of Force magazine and one of India’s most respected defence and strategic affairs analysts, who breaks down the military dimensions of the expanding conflict — including the role of regional powers, the involvement of global actors, and whether the situation risks spiralling into a wider international war.

Together, they explore:
• The strategic calculations of Iran, Israel, and the Gulf states
• The military escalation shaping the Middle East battlefield
• How energy routes, pipelines, and geopolitics influence global power struggles
• Whether the conflict could draw major powers into a broader war
• And the critical question: Is the world inching toward World War III?

If you want to understand the geopolitics, military strategy, and energy politics behind the most dangerous conflict unfolding today, this is a conversation you cannot miss.

#middleeastwar #iranisraelconflict #worldwar3 #geopolitics #pravinsawhney

[Mani Shankar Aiyar @ManiPodcast]

🎙️ Iran War Escalation: What Happens Next?Mani Shankar Aiyar Breaks It Down | Ep. 5

On this episode of Mani Talk, veteran diplomat and former Indian Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar brings rare first-hand insight into a dramatically escalating crisis. Following US-Israeli strikes that have reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Imam Khamenei, Tehran has vowed severe revenge — raising fears of a far wider regional war. Aiyar served in Iraq and Pakistan, and as India’s Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas he negotiated with Tehran on the Iran–Pakistan–India gas pipeline — a deal that drew intense geopolitical pressure and ultimately led to his removal from the ministry. His experience engaging directly with Iranian leaders gives him a unique vantage point on today’s rapidly shifting conflict dynamics. In this episode, Aiyar analyzes: • Possible pathways of escalation — direct missile exchanges, attacks on U.S. bases in Gulf states, proxy mobilisation, and broader regional flare-ups. • Scenarios for de-escalation — diplomacy, back-channel negotiations, calibrated retaliation, and conditions for a negotiated pause. • What the involvement of Gulf states means for the future of the conflict. • Whether the confrontation could spread beyond the Middle East into a wider geopolitical crisis. • The impact on India and South Asia — and what diplomatic role India must consider playing as regional tensions intensify. He also advances a stark central argument: that what he describes as a new “axis” between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu has not merely triggered another war, but risks undoing the fragile international order constructed after two world wars that claimed over 100 million lives. Is this the beginning of a prolonged and destabilising global confrontation — or will cooler heads steer events toward containment? Watch Mani Shankar Aiyar break down the next steps, from battlefield dynamics to the future of the world order.

#iranwar #middleeastwar #usisraeliran #geopolitics #worldconflict #breakingnews #manishankaraiyar

[Mani Shankar Aiyar @ManiPodcast]

🎙️ Amar Sonar Bangla: What Next for Bangladesh? | Dr. Sreeradha Datta | Ep. 19
watch full video on YouTube, https://t.co/KzjVr9imRR

In this special episode of Mani Ki Baat, Suneet ke Saath, Mani Shankar and Suneet Aiyar welcome back Dr. Sreeradha Datta, Professor of International Affairs at O.P. Jindal Global University and one of India’s foremost experts on South Asian geopolitics. Dr. Datta was the only Indian observer for the recently concluded Bangladesh elections — giving her rare, first-hand insights from the ground. Her previous appearance on this show was a major hit in Bangladesh, and given her widespread popularity there, she returns at a crucial moment to decode the implications of the 2026 election results. Dr. Datta’s expertise on Bangladesh’s politics and India-Bangladesh relations makes her the perfect voice to unpack the aftermath of these elections. From shifting political landscapes to what this means for regional stability and strategic ties, this episode digs deep into what’s next for Bangladesh and the future of India-Bangladesh diplomacy. In this episode: What do the election results signal for Bangladesh’s political future? Is the country entering a new phase of stability or uncertainty? How will this impact India-Bangladesh relations? What strategic recalibration might New Delhi consider? If you follow Bangladesh politics, India-Bangladesh relations, or South Asian strategic affairs, this is a must-watch conversation packed with exclusive insights you won’t hear elsewhere. Watch till the end. Share your views. Subscribe for sharp geopolitical analysis. #bangladeshelections #tariquerahman #indiabangladeshrelations #sheikhhasina #bangladesh2026 #indiaforeignpolicy #bnpbangladesh #awamileague

[Mani Shankar Aiyar @ManiPodcast]

Bihar’s journey from ancient glory to modern challenges - and the politics that shape its future. Catch Mani Ki Baat with Suneet for a deep dive.

[Mani Shankar Aiyar @ManiPodcast]

Bihar’s journey from ancient glory to modern challenges - and the politics that shape its future. Catch Mani Ki Baat with Suneet for a deep dive.

[Mani Shankar Aiyar @ManiPodcast]

Bihar’s journey from ancient glory to modern challenges - and the politics that shape its future. Catch Mani Ki Baat with Suneet for a deep dive.

[Mani Shankar Aiyar @ManiPodcast]

Bihar’s journey from ancient glory to modern challenges - and the politics that shape its future. Catch Mani Ki Baat with Suneet for a deep dive.