India Decides @ 9

A split between Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) and the BJP is imminent, with sources saying that a formal announcement by his party is likely on Sunday.

A dramatic U-turn in less than 24 hours. On Wednesday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath had told NDTV that the government should not wait for a day to make the Food Security Bill a legal right. Today, the government said it would make "one more effort" to convince the Opposition. The Prime Minister reportedly conveyed this to his colleagues at a cabinet meeting this morning, thus deferring plans to use an ordinance to provide subsidised food to nearly 70% of India's population. The government will try to convene a special session of Parliament instead to clear the Rs. 1.3 lakh crore welfare reform.

On the show tonight, Mamata Banerjee revives talks of the third front, but is it feasible? We discuss. Also, we debate the controversy after the revelations about the US National Security Agency conducting secret surveillance on Web users around the world.

On India Decides @ 9, exclusive details of why the CBI, probing the coal scam, alleges Congress MP Naveen Jindal paid kickbacks.

Over-ruling a faction of its senior leaders, the BJP is likely to anoint Narendra Modi the head of an election committee on Sunday, the final day of the party's Goa conclave. The promotion of the controversial Chief Minister of Gujarat was listed yesterday as an imperative to party president Rajnath Singh by the BJP's ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh or RSS, according to sources.

After the arrest of three of its players on charges of spot-fixing, now the co-owner of Rajasthan Royals, Raj Kundra, has reportedly admitted to placing bets on IPL games. The BCCI has called for a meeting on Monday to discuss the latest development in the huge scandal. Will it terminate the Jaipur franchise from the IPL?

A meeting of chief ministers in New Delhi to discuss internal security failed to arrive at a consensus on the government's watered down version of its proposed anti-terror body, National Counter Terrorism Centre or NCTC. Instead, the meeting degenerated into a war of words between Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister P Chidambaram.

We can't get basic consensus to run Parliament, but an order by the Chief Information Commission that political parties should come under RTI has seen a remarkable unity. Almost all political parties, barring the BJP, have rejected the order. The order cited a number of reasons why they should come under RTI - from the crores of tax breaks political parties receive to their influence on decision making - but the parties aren't buying it. The Congress even said that political parties are private organisations.

The BJP today denied that one of its most senior leaders, LK Advani, has openly expressed his opposition to the possible selection of Gujarat Chief Minister Narenda Modi as the party's candidate for prime minister. Is the cold war between LK Advani and Narendra Modi out in the open? We discuss on the 9 o'clock news.

Rajeev Shukla on Saturday resigned as the chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) amid the raging spot-fixing controversy that has rocked Indian cricket. His resignation piles up pressure on Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief N Srinivasan to step down.

On India Decides@9, we speak to Jyotiraditya Scindia, the first to break ranks in the BCCI over the growing controversy surrounding its chief N Srinivasan.

Blame game begins over the Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh; Centre says security preparations weren't adequate while BJP says Congress is trying to politicise the issue.

Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of BCCI chief N Srinivasan, is in Mumbai for questioning in connection with the IPL spot-fixing scandal; India Cements, the owner of Chennai Super Kings, says Mr Meiyappan is not part of the franchise and pressure on Mr Srinivasan but sources say there is no question of his stepping down.

UK's Prime Minister and London Mayor have said the beheading of a soldier in London by two men had nothing to do with Islam even as reports came in of two Mosques being attacked. We discuss the thin line between a barbaric killing by individual murderers and a terrorist attack. (Video courtesy: Sky News)

Just when you think it couldn't get any worse, it has. Today the Mumbai police arrested Vindoo Dara Singh, recently the winner of Big Boss, for his links with bookies. This is a huge shocker because Vindoo, a popular TV star, has been seen in many matches and friendly with many players. Also today for the first time emerged the clear evidence of hawala links as well with over Rs 1 crore being recovered from an alleged hawala operator. Then the other surprise, Sahara, the main sponsors of the Indian cricket team is out of the IPL and won't renew their sponsorship of the India cricket team which runs out this year because of a fight with the BCCI over encashment of the bank guarantee.

Can the Indian tiger and the Chinese dragon enter a new relationship, especially given the tension over the China incursion last month? Today, both prime ministers included managing the border issue as key in their joint statement but an unusually forthcoming Premier Li also stressed on the friendship between the countries despite differences.

On the show tonight, we talk to BCCI chief N Srinivasan on the spot-fixing scandal in the IPL and discuss how deep are its roots.

On the money trail, the Delhi Police goes on nationwide searches as a part of the spot-fixing probe. In Mumbai, the police seize Sreesanth's laptop and iPad. The Mumbai Police says, the kingpin among the cricketers was Rajasthan Royals player Ajit Chandila. Is there more trouble in store for Sreesanth and Chandila? We discuss on the 9 o'clock news.

IPL is rocked by spot-fixing allegations as three Rajasthan Royals players and 11 bookies are arrested by the Delhi Police.

On the 9 o'clock news, a debate on whether the ambitious food bill can remove hunger. Also, a discussion with RJD chief Lalu Prasad's son Tejasvi about his transition from an IPL to a political innings.