Price of gas
Sir — It is one thing to pay for one’s misdeeds and quite another to pay for the misdeeds of one’s livestock, that too for a biological process which cannot be controlled. Denmark has decided to tax livestock farmers for their flatulent cows, sheep and pigs to tackle methane emissions. The Danish government, which has taken various steps to meet its greenhouse gas emission targets, is facing widespread protests from farmers who claim that they are being driven to penury by such ‘green’ laws. While it is true that emissions need to be cut, surely taxing farmers for the flatulence of their cattle is neither feasible nor logical. While cattle cannot be expected to hold it in, perhaps a fine on people who create a nuisance by farting in public might turn our cities more pleasant.
Sonal Murlidharan, Trivandrum
By the book
Sir — Before the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha began, elected members of the INDIA bloc gathered outside the old Parliament building and waved copies
of the Constitution (“Of the people, for the people & by this Book”, June 25). Opposition members also held copies of the Constitution aloft while the prime minister, Narendra Modi, and the Union home minister, Amit Shah, took their oaths in the House. Leaders of the Opposition have emerged as champions of the Constitution whereas the Bharatiya Janata Party is historically known for its attempts to subvert it. The verdict of the Lok Sabha polls has shown that the BJP will have to prioritise the rights of the poor as laid down in the Constitution.
Haridasan Rajan, Kozhikode, Kerala
Pay it back
Sir — Narendra Modi’s decade in office was all sound and fury. It was full of slogans and fancy acronyms related to welfare programmes. Modi’s statement, “People want substance, not slogans”, was a classic example of the adage, ‘Satan quoting the scriptures’. The Congress president, Mallikarjun Kharge, has cleverly lobbed this advice back at Modi recently (“Kharge lobs back Modi advice”, June 25). One hopes that the more muscular Opposition in the current Lok Sabha will not take Modi’s jibes lying
down and pay Modi back in his own coin.
Avinash Godboley, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh
Still restive
Sir — The Congress held an intra-party meeting with its Manipur unit to find ways to alleviate the pain of the people in strife-torn Manipur. Manipur’s electorate clearly rejected the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha elections because the party, which is in power in the state, has been complicit in the ethnic tensions between the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zos through its inaction.
On the same day as the Congress meeting, the Kuki-Zos from Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal organised rallies to press for a separate administration. They also protested against the cancellation of the Free Movement Regime with neighbouring Myanmar. A memorandum was submitted to the Union home minister, Amit Shah.
Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai
Free, at last
Sir — The WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, has finally walked out of the Belmarsh prison in the United Kingdom after spending five years in that high-security facility. He has been set free as part of a deal after he agreed to plead guilty to violating the espionage law of the United States of America. He has returned to his homeland, Australia.
It was because of Assange that the world found out about the US’s war crimes
in Iraq and Afghanistan. The WikiLeaks database created a stir in not only
the US but also the world with its revelations. Assange’s work is an example of exemplary courage and fearless journalism.
Jang Bahadur Singh, Jamshedpur
Too late
Sir — The Biju Janata Dal has learnt the lesson that one needs a long spoon to
sup with the devil a little too late. Its decision to not cooperate with the Bharatiya Janata Party comes when the damage has already been done (“BJD: No longer lenient on BJP”, June 25). The BJD president, Naveen Patnaik, should take measures to stop his party members from abandoning the BJD to join the BJP.
Anthony Henriques, Mumbai
Mature innings
Sir — The Indian cricket team displayed maturity and professionalism in beating Australia in the Super Eight stage of the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup. The cornerstone of India’s innings was the brilliant show by Rohit Sharma who hit eight sixes in the course of the match. India has now entered the semi-finals where they take on England (“Rohit blitz sets up India semis date vs England”, June 25). The Indian team is in good form and should do well.
Devendra Khurana, Bhopal
Wise decision
Sir — The decision of the Tamil Nadu Film Producers’ Council to revamp the film production process, primarily the payment of extra expenses to actors, is heartening. The governments should do the same for legislators who live at the expense of
the exchequer.
N. Mahadevan, Chennai
Dangerous season
Sir — The civic authorities in Calcutta are taking extensive steps to tackle the spread of dengue ahead of the monsoons (“Drive against dengue, flooding”, June 24). Perhaps last year’s experience pushed the civic body to take pre-emptive steps such as cleaning the sewer lines and the drains and raising awareness against waterlogging. Citizens too are expected to do their best to keep their surroundings mosquito-free.
Pratima Manimala, Howrah
