Get real

Sir — The reel can have a deep impact on the real. In a recent incident that blurred the difference between the reel and the real, a woman made a hoax bomb call to the Bengaluru airport to try and stop her boyfriend from boarding a flight. However, unlike in the movies where benign police officers are moved by the love story of the hero and heroine and let them go, this woman has been charged with making mischief. One wonders why in this age of mobile phones, emails, social media and sundry other means of communication the woman felt that stopping her boyfriend from flying was the only way to get her point across to him. People and films should both get more real.

Divya Pawar, Indore

Uncertain future

Sir — The snap parliamentary elections in France have thrown up the most fragmented results since Charles de Gaulle founded the Fifth Republic in 1959. The hastily cobbled alliance of Left parties edged out the far-Right led by Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN)(“Divided house”, July 9). However, internal politics should not hamper the success of the Paris Olympics, which will start on July 26. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, may have to compromise on several issues to save the country from a future of uncertainty. Important issues like the fates of NATO and Ukraine hang in the balance.

Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai

Sir — The results of the French parliamentary elections have amazed many, including Emmanuel Macron. The verdict has weakened his position — his party emerged second in the polls — and will force him to negotiate with the Left to form a new government. The Left alliance, New Popular Front, and Macron’s centrist Ensemble will have to find common ground. Their opposition to the National Rally could become a uniting factor. The country will have to prepare for many challenges ahead.

D.V.G. Sankara Rao, Andhra Pradesh

Sir — French voters have taken the world by surprise with a verdict that resulted in a hung Parliament. The NPF unexpectedly secured the highest number of votes, even though it was the far-Right RN that had been predicted to finish first. The president, Emmanuel Macron, is now left with two options: he could call on the NPF to form a coalition government with the Ensemble or appoint a technocratic government to tide over a period of one year after which fresh legislative elections can be held again. Even though France may have an unstable period ahead, the French electorate has done well to safeguard the country’s democratic credentials by stopping Marine Le Pen’s rise to power.

Abhijit Roy, Jamshedpur

Sir — The political gamble of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to call for sudden parliamentary polls has paid off partially. It has prevented the far-Right RN from gaining a majority in Parliament. But the poll verdict has also thrown up turmoil as no political party has managed to get a majority. The results of the polls have left Macron weaker instead of empowered.

M. Jeyaram, Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu

Empathetic stance

Sir — The recent visit by the Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, to strife-torn Manipur — his third to the state since ethnic clashes began last year — was certainly not “tragedy tourism” as the Bharatiya Janata Party claims it was. Rahul Gandhi did what was expected of him as the leader of the Opposition. He spoke about the tragedy of the people of Manipur in a measured tone and, rather than reprimand the prime minister, Narendra Modi, beseeched the latter to visit the state (“‘PM, spare a day for Manipur’”, July 9). His interactions with the people of Manipur exuded empathy.

Avinash Godboley, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh

Sir — Rahul Gandhi’s appeal to the prime minister to visit Manipur should stir the latter’s conscience. The Congress leader seems to have heeded the prime minister’s advice to not politicise the issue and did not make any political comments. Time will tell whether the prime minister responds to Rahul Gandhi’s plea and visits Manipur.

K. Nehru Patnaik, Visakhapatnam

Sir — While Rahul Gandhi has found time to visit Manipur thrice since tensions began in the state — once as the leader of the Opposition — the prime minister is too busy with his foreign visits.

Sudhir G. Kangutkar, Thane

Root cause

Sir — The Reserve Bank of India maintains foreign exchange reserves to curb excessive volatility in the market. The government must consider building a buffer stock not just of rice and wheat but also of pulses, oilseeds, sugar, skimmed milk powder and staple vegetables. The increasing volatility of food prices is primarily because of climate change. Extended dry spells interspersed with intense precipitation, shorter winters and repeated heat waves have wreaked havoc on the agricultural calendar. Such supply shocks typically engender very large price spikes. Farmers respond by massively ramping up production which, in turn, leads to steep price declines. Creating a buffer stock of essential food items can go some way in evening out such extreme price fluctuations.

H.N. Ramakrishna, Bengaluru

Sir — The chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, has set a deadline of 10 days to bring down the prices of vegetables. While her aim is laudable, she must consider the factors behind this price rise. Unless the government takes steps to fight climate change and make farmers more resilient to it, curbing food inflation will be impossible.

M.N. Gupta, Hooghly