Lost edge

Sir — Memes are among the many things being credited for the historic reversal in fortunes in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections. Cleverly designed memes that exposed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s hypocrisy may well have turned the tide in favour of the Opposition. But it is not just the BJP that is suffering from the rise of the meme culture. Scathing political cartoons — once a hallmark of every election — such as the ones by Chittaprosad, have also been eclipsed by memes. This is unfortunate because while memes are undoubtedly clever, they depend on poaching images from popular culture, unlike political cartoons that were artistic masterpieces as well.

Roshni Sen, Calcutta

Vicious attacks

Sir — While it must be admitted that no one has the right to assault another individual, it is equally true that being assaulted does not give one the right to cast aspersions on the assaulter. The actress and Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament, Kangana Ranaut, was allegedly slapped on the face by a Central Industrial Security Force personnel. Since then, Ranaut has gone to town hurling abuses like “Khalistani”, “urban Naxal”, “anti-national” and “Pakistani” at all those who have not endorsed her or her party. One hopes that sanity prevails on both sides and this vitiated atmosphere calms down.

Kajal Chatterjee, Calcutta

Sir — The CISF personnel who slapped Kangana Ranaut has been suspended. But Ranaut, too, must understand that she cannot remain a loose canon, especially now that she has become an MP. Freedom of speech does not entitle Ranaut to hurt the sentiments of others.

M.N. Gupta, Hooghly

Sir — It is unfortunate that Kangana Ranaut was slapped by a CISF personnel. The space for dissent has shrunk in this country. Both sides have been polarised beyond redemption.

Jayanta Datta, Hooghly

Sir — One may disagree with Kangana Ranaut’s comments on farmers’ protest but that does not allow people to assault her. The CISF is a competent force that handles the security of strategic establishments like airports and ports. It needs to conduct a thorough enquiry into this incident. The security of citizens cannot be compromised at any cost.

Bal Govind, Noida

Shameful sham

Sir — The editorial, “Shots in the dark” (June 8), has rightly observed that unless exit pollsters and the media rethink their methods, they will lose credibility. In fact, large sections of the media have already lost their credibility. It is the duty of the media to ask the government uncomfortable questions. But apart from some notable exceptions like The Telegraph, the fourth estate played a cheerleader for the ruling side.

Sujit De, Calcutta

Sir — The predictions of the 2024 Lok Sabha exit polls were way off the mark. Research agencies conducting exit polls should keep in mind people’s fear of reprisal when revealing their political choices to pollsters. Moreover, one must ask who benefits from the exit polls. Besides increasing the TRP of news channels, exit polls do not do much.

D.P. Bhattacharya, Calcutta

Sir — The editorial, “Shots in the dark”, was absolutely right in saying that media houses use the exit polls as a means to please the ruling regime and increase their viewership. The effect of the exit polls on the stock market can also not be denied. Many people made money in spite of the stock market crash on the day of the actual results while the gullible public lost out because they believed the exit polls.

Amit Brahmo, Calcutta

Sir — The 2024 Lok Sabha elections have proven that exit polls are not only biased but also marred by corruption. The exercise is clearly not taken seriously and may even have been done at the behest of the ruling regime. Exit polls are nothing but a farce.

Fateh Najamuddin, Lucknow

End of an era

Sir — The African National Congress led South Africa out of apartheid three decades ago. But it suffered a setback in the May 29 general election when it lost its majority in Parliament for the first time. The ANC, currently led by Cyril Ramaphosa, saw a dramatic fall in its vote share to 40.18%, from 57% in 2019. Under Ramaphosa’s rule, there has been little progress in addressing the critical problems of Africa’s most advanced economy, which has shrunk over the past two and a half years. The ANC knew voters were upset and Ramaphosa sought votes in the name of the party’s legacy rather than its performance. However, voters did not buy into his arguments.

Tathagata Sanyal, Birmingham, UK

Sir — The era of the ANC’s dominance is over. Cyril Ramaphosa should form a coalition that will not mar the party’s anti-­apartheid legacy and focus on resolving the country’s myriad economic woes.

Rupanjali Samadder, Calcutta