Jahnavi Sen 
On the eighth episode of The Wire Wrap, The Wire‘s Jahnavi Sen is joined by Malayala Manorama bureau chief Jomy Thomas and The Wire‘s founding editor M.K. Venu to discuss recent political developments.
What’s behind the reignited controversy around the Katchatheevu island, given credence by none less than the prime minister and foreign minister? Is a resolved bilateral matter being used for domestic political gain? And will it work, in Tamil Nadu and beyond?
Modi and the BJP have made a big deal out of trying to push a corruption-free image, and have repeatedly painted the entirety of the opposition as corrupt. Central agencies have been used against opposition leaders facing corruption charges with a great intensity. But at the same time, the party seems to have no problem with welcoming in or allying with those accused of corruption – and then the cases against them seem to suddenly disappear.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a rather peculiar comment recently. After largely ignoring the electoral bonds issue in all his public speeches, he made a short statement to a TV channel in which he said that it was only because of this scheme that any money trail existed, basically saying that the BJP was bringing transparency here. What have these revelations meant for the BJP’s image?