Healthy bites

Sir — The colourful lives of celebrities never cease to amaze us. Recently, the Bollywood actress, Kareena Kapoor Khan, posted a picture mentioning that she is “that mother” who eats the leftovers of her children. Netizens are going gaga over an act that is, unfortunately, a common practice among women. Indian women have a history of suffering from malnutrition as they are expected to survive on the leftovers of their husbands or children. It is time celebrities wield their influence responsibly. Perhaps showing a mother eating her own, hearty meal will help other women be less self-sacrificial.

Chinmoy Sarkar,
Calcutta

Welfare first

Sir — Swapan Dasgupta’s article, “Flawed assumptions” (July 4), paints a rosy picture of the Narendra Modi-led dispensation. This is contrary to the reality. Rahul Gandhi’s debut speech as the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, in which he explained the intrinsic meaning of ‘Hinduism’, must be lauded. Hinduism stands for tolerance, non-violence, and respect for human rights. But it has increasingly been given a violent dimension with vigilantism and the targeting of minorities. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s claim that Rahul Gandhi has insulted Hindus is ridiculous.

S.S. Paul,
Nadia

Sir — Swapan Dasgupta rightly observed the Congress’s shift to the Left under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership. However, capitalism benefits only those leaders who peddle false promises for electoral benefits. Prioritising the interests of billionaires affects the micro, small and medium enterprises aversely. Countries like the United States of America provide people with social security and an allowance for unemployment. A welfare State should opt for socialism instead of capitalism.

Sujit De,
Calcutta

Sir — The Indian economy will benefit from a Centre-Left approach. The government, therefore, should aim for a mixed economy with an empowered public sector and a thriving private sector.

D.R. Sarkar,
Calcutta

Sir — Swapan Dasgupta has used post-poll surveys to justify the seat tallies of the BJP and the Congress. Flawed assumptions, be it by the BJP or the Congress, are common in politics.

K. Nehru Patnaik,
Visakhapatnam

Landslide win

Sir — In his victory speech, the new British prime minister, Keir Starmer, hailed the Labour Party’s landslide victory as the “sunlight of hope” and promised an “age of national renewal”. Voters in the United Kingdom were desperate for a change. High inflation and a steep cost of living, coupled with the mishandling of the economic crises and the adversity during the Covid-19 pandemic, generated anti-incumbency sentiments. The voters were miffed with the Tories for putting the State at the service of the market and voted for the Labour Party, which promised to make the government more people-centric.

The new government has its task cut out: it has to humanely deal with immigration, fix the National Health Service, revitalise the economy, improve living standards and bolster workers’ rights. The Leftward shift of Britain will hopefully counter the lean to the Right by many European countries.

G. David Milton,
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Sir — Britain’s Labour Party has defeated the Conservatives in the general election. Keir Starmer was invited by King Charles III to form the government. Starmer is the 58th prime minister of the UK.

The Conservative Party lost nearly 250 seats and will form the Opposition. The outgoing prime minister, Rishi Sunak, resigned as the leader of the Tories. Several cabinet ministers, including Liz Truss, were voted out.

M.R. Jayanthi,
Coimbatore