Generational joy
Sir — Is a happy GenZ a myth? This is a generation that is notoriously hard to please — just ask the Millennial managers who struggle to keep their GenZ colleagues happy. But Lithuania might have cracked the code to keep GenZers happy. It has topped the under-30s category of this year’s World Happiness Report. So what does it take to make GenZ happy? Better pay, a slow life and lower taxes seem to do the trick. Unlike their seniors who quietly accepted the pace and the drudgery of a capitalist world, GenZ is not ready to compromise on life’s little luxuries just to earn money.
Disha Mitra, Calcutta
Swept away
Sir — The smear campaign on the Biju Janata Dal by the Bharatiya Janata Party is the reason behind its sweep in Odisha. The BJP had targeted V.K. Pandian, the right-hand man of the former chief minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, in the run-up to the assembly elections in the state. Pandian, a civil servant-turned-politician from Tamil Nadu, was accused of siphoning off wealth from Odisha’s Jagannath temple to his home state. However, the real threat to the state’s rich cultural heritage lies elsewhere. The true colours of the BJP are revealed by the likes of Sambit Patra, who claimed that Lord Jagannath is a devotee of the prime minister, Narendra Modi. His win from Odisha is dangerous.
Meghma Nag, Calcutta
Sir — Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year-long stint as the chief minister of Odisha has been ended by the BJP, which is set to form the government in the state. Had Patnaik secured another term, he could have become India’s longest-serving chief minister. Odisha is an enigmatic state. During the past two decades, no political leader in Odisha surpassed Patnaik’s popularity. Anti-incumbency, regionalism, and religious motivation — the missing keys to the ratna bhandar of the Jagannath temple is an example — played their parts in the BJP’s win.
Chinmoy Ghosh, Calcutta
Sir — The BJD has suffered a massive defeat in the Lok Sabha elections and the assembly polls in Odisha because of the BJP’s successful campaign focussing on Naveen Patnaik’s failing health and V.K. Pandian’s rise to prominence. During the campaign, Narendra Modi, who had once referred to Patnaik as a “friend”, said that the BJP would investigate why Patnaik’s health has rapidly deteriorated in the course of the last year.
Apart from this, the lack of credible leadership in the BJD also contributed to the party’s electoral failure. The few leaders who were promoted to senior roles were not allowed to manage the party. The BJD, which had never lost in any major election since its inception in 1997, was not prepared for these simultaneous routs.
Madhab Das, Bhubaneswar
Sir — The BJP is all set to form its maiden government in Odisha. It won 78 seats in the 147-member assembly, bringing Naveen Patnaik’s stint as chief minister to an end. The BJD won 51 seats and the Congress 14. In the 2019 assembly elections, the Naveen Patnaik-led party had won 113 seats. The BJD has governed the state for five consecutive terms. Prior to the 2024 elections, there was an unsuccessful attempt at a seat-sharing arrangement between the BJD and the BJP.
Sushmit Panda, Puri
Spirited fight
Sir — The chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, has an indomitable spirit and has, once again, proved her political mettle during the general elections (“Didi has BJP on the mat, again”, June 5). Narendra Modi must understand that Banerjee is a seasoned political leader. She has been able to withstand the Bharatiya Janata Party’s repeated attacks on the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal. The TMC has given the BJP a befitting reply.
Arun Gupta, Calcutta
Sir — The TMC, led by Mamata Banerjee, has won nearly 70% of the Lok Sabha seats from West Bengal. This proves that Banerjee’s women-centric welfare schemes, like Kanyashree and Lakshmir Bhandar, have been successful (“In blue & white”, June 5). Women voters who receive monthly cash assistance have definitely favoured the TMC.
Issues like the teachers’ recruitment scam, violence in Sandeshkhali and the BJP’s Hindutva politics were not able to dent the TMC’s vote bank. The TMC has the advantage of having a woman at the helm, which garners support from women voters. Banerjee has been part of grass-roots politics while the state BJP lacks women leaders who can match her stature.
Khokan Das, Calcutta
Historic victory
Sir — Claudia Sheinbaum, a 61-year-old climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, recently won Mexico’s elections in a landslide victory, becoming the first woman and the first Jewish person to be elected the Mexican president in 200 years (“1st woman elected to lead Mexico”, June 4). One hopes that under her leadership Mexico will stride towards progress, peace and prosperity.
Sourish Misra, Calcutta
