Cute culprit

Sir — Be it one’s favourite pair of shoes, books, or furniture — pets love to chew on a myriad objects around the house. It is thus common for libraries to receive books that are returned with bite marks or tattered pages. Interestingly, the Middleton Public Library in Wisconsin has come up with a unique punishment — patrons have been asked to furnish a photograph of their pet dog or cat, the beloved culprit behind the chomped-up books. Inspired by the March Meowness initiative, the pet photographs submitted will stand in lieu of replacement costs or fines incurred by the patrons. However, given the fact that pet owners love to share cute photographs of their furry friends, one wonders whether such a fine will act as an incentive to protect books from pets.

Debarghya Sanyal, Calcutta

Fearless speech

Sir — In his debut speech as the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi elucidated that Hinduism has no place for hatred and violence. This has earned him criticism from the members of the ruling dispensation who have accused Rahul Gandhi of insulting Hindus. R. Rajagopal’s column, “The fear slayer” (July 5), correctly praises Rahul Gandhi’s “clarity of thought” and “quick wit” in his rebuttal that neither Narendra Modi nor the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh represents the entire Hindu community. No religion in the world should preach hatred or violence. It is wrong of the ruling regime to distort Rahul Gandhi’s statements and try to create divisions in society.

Sujit De, Calcutta

Sir — R. Rajagopal must be congratulated for penning the article, “The fear slayer”. Fear seems to have become the primary tool of governance for the saffron regime. It is thus heartening that Rahul Gandhi has offered Indians a choice between “fear and valour, violence and non-violence, truth and untruth.” With this, the Congress leader has underlined a simple fact — the Opposition is not the government’s enemy. Cooperation and dialogue between the ruling party and the Opposition is part of the democratic ethos. Narendra Modi’s confrontational attitude towards the Opposition imperils parliamentary democracy.

D.J. Azavedo, Bengaluru

Serious challenges

Sir — After 14 years of Conservative misrule, the Labour Party has come back to power in the United Kingdom with a resounding victory. This is a monumental shift in British politics (“Clear stand”, July 8). The prime minister, Keir Starmer, has promised to turn the page after a decade of turmoil to rebuild his country and restore British glory. However, how he fixes the mess left behind by the Tories — the fallout from Brexit coupled with high inflation and poor growth are examples — remains to be seen.

Starmer’s biggest challenge domestically is to revamp the National Health Service as people currently have to wait months for even basic check-ups. Moreover, after promising that he would not increase taxes during the poll campaign, Starmer has now made a U-turn and said that he is willing to take “tough decisions” regarding tax hikes. This is deplorable.

Bal Govind, Noida

Sir — The Labour Party’s win in the elections heralds a new era for Britain. The country is facing daunting challenges and the path to national renewal will be rocky. Although the prime minister, Keir Starmer, has stopped the Conservative government’s flagship scheme to deport migrants to Rwanda, he will be under pressure to cut down on the number of immigrants. Starmer might also struggle to weather the domestic challenges such as the increasing public debt and a high tax burden.

S.S. Paul, Nadia

Sir — Britain’s decision to hand the Labour Party 400-plus seats comes at a time when far-Right parties have been gaining ground in many European countries, including France, Italy and Germany (“When Left is Right”, July 7). While this is heartening, the brute majority might end up making the Labour complacent and usher in misrule. Keir Starmer must ensure democratic governance and prevent Britain from turning Right at any cost.

Manoharan Muthuswamy, Ramnad, Tamil Nadu

Vendetta politics

Sir — The Trinamool Congress parliamentarian, Mahua Moitra, has become the first politician to be booked under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (“New law’s first target in politics”, July 8). Moitra is a victim of vendetta politics; she had been targeted by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the past which led to her losing her Lok Sabha membership in the previous term. The government’s action against members of the Opposition is condemnable.

Jang Bahadur Singh, Jamshedpur

Unfit lot

Sir — It was eye-opening to learn that half of India’s adult population is physically unfit, as has been revealed by a recent Lancet study (“Out of shape”, July 5). Exercising on a daily basis pays rich dividends like improving mental health and ensuring a disease-free life. Sedentary living is the root cause of obesity and several life-threatening diseases.

Sunil Chopra, Ludhiana

Costly delicacy

Sir — The price of brinjal has increased manifold in recent weeks. This has especially irked the people of West Bengal since brinjal is ubiquitous in several Bengali food preparations such as the monsoon-special kalojire begun diye ilish machher jhol, which must be had with steamed rice, or beguni, which goes well with gorom khichuri. Alas, Bengalis now have to think about their savings before even wishing for such delicacies.

Sourish Misra, Calcutta