Dirty war

Sir — Trash talk, characterised by disparaging and hyperbolic remarks, is often used in sports to demoralise opponents. However, the conflict between North Korea and South Korea has led to the world witnessing a literal version of trash-talking. Even though the two neighbours have been engaged in conflict over the past 70 years, the North has resorted to an unconventional war tactic after a recent provocation — it has sent over 1,000 balloons filled with garbage, used toilet paper and cigarette butts into South Korea. But the proverb goes that one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure. Given Seoul’s impressive waste management system, the trash may be recycled in no time and turn in a pretty profit for South Korea.

Debdyuti Ghosh, Calcutta

Dampened spirits

Sir — The swearing-in of the National Democratic Alliance government at the Rashtrapati Bhavan was a gala affair (“Continuity In Compulsion”, June 10). The historic ceremony was attended by prominent Indian personalities and foreign leaders but the absence of most of the leaders of the INDIA bloc was a dead giveaway that the rift between the government and the Opposition is beyond repair. The government should take the initiative to bridge this chasm. Narendra Modi cannot ignore the people’s verdict, which has marked the return of coalition politics, and ride roughshod over the Opposition.

Further, the glum looks and the uncertain smiles of many of the attendees were telling. The overall enthusiasm was pale in comparison to the 2014 and the 2019 ceremonies. Rumblings of discontent might be heard from within the coalition government in the coming days.

G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Sir — With 72 parliamentarians being sworn in as ministers in the Narendra Modi government, a rejig of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s organisational structure is on the anvil. The inclusion of J.P. Nadda in the council of ministers, whose tenure as the party president will end in June, indicates that a new face will be commanding the saffron party. Many key BJP leaders, including Smriti Irani and Anurag Thakur, have been dropped from the government. They may be given plump posts in the organisation to address the gaps that led to the party losing its majority.

Now that the new cabinet has been installed, the ruling dispensation must work towards ensuring maximum governance. The distribution of free rations is not viable as a long-term strategy for poverty alleviation. The government should instead focus on employment generation and ensuring fair income.

Kirti Wadhawan, Kanpur

Sir — Narendra Modi has been given a mandate to govern the country for a record third term. It is high time he abandons his Hindutva rhetoric and emphasises upholding the Constitution and safeguarding democracy. The world is taking cognisance of the seismic shift in Indian politics and it will not be prudent for Modi to stick to his divisive ways and his blinkered attitude towards the Opposition.

M.C. Vijay Shankar, Chennai

Divided house

Sir — “Internal dynamics” (June 6) by Swapan Dasgupta fails to give the INDIA bloc due credit for humbling Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 general elections. The BJP’s seat tally, which fell short of the majority mark, has ensured that it now has to depend on its allies to continue in the government. Dasgupta rightly addresses the inner feuding that made the general elections a “BJP vs BJP” contest. While no political party is immune to factionalism, the internal chasm in the BJP, especially in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, has been a matter of public scrutiny.

Anthony Henriques, Mumbai

Sir — In “Internal dynamics”, Swapan Dasgupta criticised the “make-believe prism” of flawed exit poll predictions. Narendra Modi and the BJP went all out during the electoral campaign, boasting about achieving ‘chaar sau paar’ seats. But the poll verdict was a befitting response to their hubris.

Dasgupta also claimed that the saffron party fought the elections entirely on the “Modi charisma”. The question is this: why would a diverse country like India be governed by a single leader? Should the performance of the previous Modi government not have been highlighted in the campaign? Indian voters casting their ballots based on issues like unemployment, poverty and inflation, instead of religious identities, thus gave a fitting reply to the saffron party.

Sukhendu Bhattacharjee, Hooghly

Powerful voice

Sir — It is heartwarming that G.N. Devy concluded his column, “Dear Indian voters” (June 9), with “Hats off to you, dear voter”. Even though the INDIA bloc did not secure a majority, it emerged as the real winner that could challenge the cult of Narendra Modi who has been hitherto considered invincible.

Modi’s autocratic ways of governance in the past 10 years have been detrimental to India’s democratic ethos. The results of the general elections indicate that the people have been getting tired of Modi’s megalomania. The public’s sense of justice is what makes India a true and a powerful democracy.

Jahar Saha, Calcutta

Sharp turn

Sir — The results of the European Parliament elections suggest dramatic gains for far-Right parties. The inroads made by hardliners in France, Germany and Austria have destabilised the elected governments of Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz and Karl Nehammer, respectively. The significant votes won by the Alternative for Germany and Georgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy are concerning. Europe leaning toward the Right could trigger similar responses in other parts of the world.

Jang Bahadur Singh, Jamshedpur