Sir — The unprecedented snow storm which hit Texas earlier this month continues to wreak havoc in the lives of millions. While electricity has been mostly restored — much of the power grid had collapsed — a little over 3.4 million people are still facing problems with water supply. Although a confluence of factors have led to the blackout, one of the reasons flagged for the crisis was the complete deregulation of energy providers in the state. With India increasingly moving towards greater privatization, incidents such as these should act as a much-needed warning to the authorities in our country.

Ruchira Biswas,
Calcutta

Victorious moment

Sir — Riding the wave of goodwill garnered by the protesting farmers who have been on Delhi’s borders since November, the Congress in Punjab has romped home to a massive victory in the civic polls, with most municipal corporations and a majority of the 109 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in its bag (“First sign”, Feb 19). Over 71 per cent of the electorate turned out to vote in the largely peaceful local body polls held recently. The Shiromani Akali Dal, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Aam Aadmi Party were pushed to the fringes. The Grand Old Party’s victory, particularly in Pathankot, Hoshiarpur and Bathinda — the latter will get a Congress mayor for the first time in 53 years — is a big blow to the Akali Dal and the BJP that were perceived to have a stronghold in these areas.

It is evident that public ire was largely responsible for the losses suffered by the BJP in Punjab. The shadow of the farmers’ protest — it has support from most sections of society — loomed over the election campaigning as the saffron party and its workers faced immense public wrath. Sensing alienation from the masses, the Akali Dal had already broken its long-time alliance with the BJP in September last year. The Punjab poll outcome has dented any real possibility of the BJP making a comeback in the state. The Akali Dal and the AAP need to reconfigure their strategies if they hope to win back the people’s trust. The assembly elections in Punjab, slated to be held next year, will be crucial.

Khokan Das,
Calcutta

Sir — The Congress has proved a point by sweeping the civic polls in Punjab. The party’s opposition to the agriculture laws and support for the farmers’ protests have borne fruit. The results indicate that the people of the state are more or less unanimous in their opposition to the new legislations. The passage of the bills in the state assembly aimed at negating the Centre’s farm laws — the question of their constitutional validity notwithstanding — seems to have paid dividends.

The outcome puts the Congress in a position to win the Punjab assembly elections next year. The BJP could face a significant drop in votes if the farmers in Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country desert the party owing to its refusal to repeal the laws. The government might just be forced to concede if the farming community decides to vote en masse against the BJP. The results of the upcoming assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Assam are going to be an indication of its political fortunes.

G. David Milton,
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Sir — It was great to see the Congress make a clean sweep of the civic body polls in Punjab. The party won Moga, Mohali, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Abohar, Pathankot, Batala and Bathinda. This time the people of Punjab have clearly rejected the BJP, the Akali Dal and the AAP. The emerging scenario is a huge setback for the BJP in Punjab. The Akali Dal, too, seems to have lost its footing in the state owing to its former alliance with the saffron party.

Bhagwan Thadani,
Mumbai

Sir — Maharashtra is, once again, witnessing a resurgence of Covid-19 cases, weeks after the state government restarted local trains in Mumbai. The spike has been attributed to both the relaxation of curbs and careless public behaviour. This, coupled with the presence of mutant strains of the coronavirus, has sparked fears that India might witness a second wave of infections. Governmental and public complacency at this point, when vaccinations are on and cases nationwide are at their lowest in over eight months, can undo the hard-won progress and sacrifices made in the fight against the disease.

N. Sadhasiva Reddy,
Bangalore