Strike a balance
Sir — Moonlighting — the practice of taking up additional jobs — is not novel.But it has got the goat of one of India’s major tech firms. Recently, Infosys warned its employees of stern action if they were found leading“double lives”. Employee loyalty is key to maintaining a stable work environment and ensuring fair trade practices. However, the pandemic-induced remote work culture and economic hardships have compelled people to take up multiple jobs. This is evident from the recent proliferation of the gig economy. Perhaps companies should incentivise their employees more to ensure commitment.
Akshay Nath,Delhi
Violent protest
Sir — The Bharatiya JanataParty’s march to theWest Bengal state secretariat, Nabanna, to protest against the corruption of the ruling Trinamul Congressregime unleashed mayhem in Calcutta and its surrounding areas. Hundreds of BJPworkers clashed with the police,vandalised local shops,torched vehicles and pelted stones at police personnel(“Berserk Janata Party hits the town”, Sept 14). The police resorted to lathi-charge and fired tear gas shells to disperse the mob.The violence caused by the protesters must be condemned.The BJP is desperate to gain a foothold inthe state after successive defeats at the hustings at the hands of the TMC. People must be aware of the machinations of the saffron party .
M.C. Vijay Shankar,Chennai
Sir — At least 11 people have been arrested under various charges, including arson, assaulting a police officer and causing damage to public property, for the violence that erupted during BJP’s Nabanna Abhiyan. The BJP leader, Ravi ShankarPrasad, has accused the TMCgovernment of police brutality and cracking down on protesters. These allegations seem dubious. It is the job of the police to ensure public safety .
Arun Gupta,Calcutta
Sir — Daily life was disrupted in many parts of Calcutta owing to the BJP’s Nabanna rally. The march ended with BJP workers causing damage to public property. This betrays the political bankruptcy of the saffron
party.
Arun Kumar Baksi, Calcutta
Dangerous trend
Sir — The former prime minister of Sweden, Magdalena Andersson, has resigned after the Social Democrats were edged out by the rightwing in the recent parliamentary elections. Sweden has long been considered a progressive nation. It was under the leadership of Anderssonthat the Nordic country sought to become a member of NATO after the invasion of Ukraine. It is feared that the victory of the rightwing bloc — known for its hardline stance — might reverse some of these developments. Right-wing parties have either won elections or secured considerable vote shares in several European nations in recent years. This indicates that Europe might, once again, come under the grip of fascism,which dominated the continent in the first half of the 20th century. This could aggravate hostilities towards immigrants, refugees and minorities.
Jang Bahadur Singh,Jamshedpur
Grave situation
Sir — The editorial,“Waste land” (Sept 14),highlights the problem of waste management in India. Economic growth and rapid urbanisation are major causes of increasing waste generation. Unthinking developmental activitiesaggravate pollution levels in the country. The authorities must take steps towards effective waste disposal. Children should be taught about the methods of waste management to create awareness from a young age.
Anthony Henriques,Mumbai
