Think harder

Sir — By-polls that follow the general election are not given much importance. But the recent by-elections in which the Bharatiya Janata Party received a drubbing at the hands of the INDIA bloc in a number of seats are likely to deepen the frowns in the saffron camp. This is because a number of crucial assembly polls are set to take place this year and if the by-elections are any indication, the BJP may find the going to be tough. The BJP’s Bengal unit has been left scratching its head too given the Trinamool Congress’s spectacular performance. Is it then time for more chintan shivirs for Narendra Modi and Co?

S.S. Chaudhuri,
Calcutta

Play fair

Sir — The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s reluctance to send Indian players to Pakistan for the International Cricket Council Champions Trophy in 2025 goes against sportsmanship spirit (“Champions Trophy: BCCI won’t play ball in Pakistan”, July 12). Sports must encourage fraternity among countries. It should provide an opportunity to bury the hatchet and rise above geopolitical differences. If India refuses to play in Pakistan, it would lose the moral ground for negotiating peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. The policies regarding peace cannot be different for bilateral relationships and third-party diplomacies.

Manoharan Muthuswamy,
Ramnad, Tamil Nadu

Sir — According to a BCCI source, the Indian team will not travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy due to security risks. The BCCI will also ask the ICC to organise India’s matches in Sri Lanka or the United Arab Emirates. Since the Asia Cup in 2008, India has not played any cricket tournament in Pakistan due to worsening bilateral ties. The Pakistan Cricket Board had chosen Lahore as the location for the matches but the BCCI refused to comply.

Bhagwan Thadani,
Mumbai

Sir — India and Pakistan are not at war and have a diplomatic relationship. The BCCI should not refuse to send the Indian team to play in Pakistan. Sports must be free of regionalism and prejudice.

Fakhrul Alam,
Calcutta

Sir — The BCCI is the richest cricketing board in the world. It has done well by taking a moral stance against terrorism, paving the way for other powerful organisations to condemn terror attacks.

Recently, a shadow outfit of the Pakistan-based terror group, Jaish-e-Mohammed, killed five Indian army personnel and injured several. Global bodies should join hands against terrorism.

Dyuti Banerjee,
Calcutta

Insecure future

Sir — Anup Sinha’s analysis of India’s economic growth could have been substantiated with more data (“Distant goal”, July 12). The human development index in India was 0.644 in 2022, ranking it 134 out of 193 countries. The HDI for a developed nation should be higher than 0.8. India has a high population density with nearly three crore Indians living in poverty. Illiteracy and unemployment are major problems in India. The current situation is bleak.

Sunil Chopra,
Ludhiana

Sir — In “Distant goal”, Anup Sinha draws upon John Rawls’ concept of a just society. Focusing solely on macroeconomic growth and GDP will lead the country towards majoritarianism and social inequality. Rawls’ theory suggests that a developed nation should have an extensive set of basic rights like a secure income and civil liberties that can be achieved by establishing redistributive mechanisms. Economic success with a high GDP and increased per capita income supported by social, political and infrastructural development is necessary for India to become a developed State.

Sukhendu Bhattacharjee,
Hooghly