Rocking recipe
Sir — Chinese chefs have left no stone unturned — literally — to prepare the world’s hardest dish. Suodiu, a Chinese delicacy that is prepared by stir-frying stones in a spicy sauce, is not difficult to make; it is simply hard to chew. Diners are thus meant to suck the stones to relish the dish that is being marketed as an authentic recipe, which used to be cooked by Chinese fishermen who got stranded at sea. But perhaps this recipe is not a novelty for Bengali readers who have already read about a poor fisherman making himself a rog-roge laal jhol with a nuri in Leela Majumdar’s Kheror Khata.
Divya Jha, Patna
Questions persist
Sir — Four Congresswomen from the United States of America — Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush — boycotted the Indian prime minister’s address to the US Congress to protest against the discriminatory policies targeting minority communities in India (“Freedom prod to Biden”, June 22). Narendra Modi has achieved notoriety for his communal policies. This can affect bilateral ties between the US and India. The prime minister should take the criticism he faced in the US positively.
M.T. Farooqi, Hyderabad
Sir — The US lawmakers are wrong to say that India has an abysmal record of human rights violations. The situation in India is not as bad as the media portray it to be. Moreover, had democracy really been in peril, Opposition parties would not have won elections in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh (“Democracy on the backburner”, June 22).
Hemanta Sasmal, Howrah
Sir — While some US legislators played spoilsport during Narendra Modi’s State visit to that country, the partnership between India and America has been strengthened by this tour.
Harsh Bisore, Ujjain
Sir — It is a matter of great shame that some US lawmakers boycotted Narendra Modi’s address to the US Congress owing to his chequered legacy. One hopes this serves as an eye-opener for him.
Asim Boral, Calcutta
Past lessons
Sir — The Congress leader, Sonia Gandhi, has said that the ongoing violence in Manipur has left a “deep wound” on the conscience of the nation (“Sonia appeals for peace in Manipur”, June 22). The prime minister, Narendra Modi, however, is yet to address this issue. He left for an official visit to the United States of America without meeting a delegation from Manipur. Modi’s disregard for Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s advice to follow ‘raj dharma’ and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s divisive politics had earlier caused devastating riots in Gujarat. The violence in Manipur is another glaring example of the BJP’s ineptitude.
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad
Needless refusal
Sir — The refusal of the governor of West Bengal, C.V. Ananda Bose, to accept the joining report of Rajiva Sinha, the newly appointed state election commissioner, is arbitrary and unprecedented (“Governor blow to Bengal poll chief”, June 22). Sinha was appointed as the SEC by the governor in accordance with Article 243K of the Constitution and he can only be removed from the post through impeachment.
The governor’s refusal to acknowledge Sinha’s appointment has jeopardised the panchayat election process in the state and, until further intervention by the judiciary, it is uncertain whether Sinha will be able to carry out the duties of the SEC. The Trinamul Congress-run state government should allow the peaceful deployment of Central forces to diffuse the stalemate.
S.K. Choudhury, Bengaluru
