Loud battle
Sir — Arguments reveal the worst sides of people. The tense scene between Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver in the film, Marriage Story, where their characters scream vicious insults at each other, is a perfect depiction of this. Surprisingly, the audio clip of the scene is being broadcast by the agriculture department in America on a loudspeaker over farmlands to scare off wolves and protect cattle. Authorities argue that loud noises of people quarrelling can instil fear in animals. While this may keep the wolves at bay, how is blasting sounds at high decibel levels, which will cause sound pollution, good for nature?
Shatakshi Asthana,
Noida
Strategic choices
Sir — The Bharatiya Janata Party’s nomination of C.P. Radhakrishnan, the governor of Maharashtra, as the vice-presidential candidate of the National Democratic Alliance is a master stroke to woo Tamil Nadu’s voters (“Plan’s ready”, Aug 19). In a bid to counter to the BJP’s choice, the INDIA bloc selected B. Sudershan Reddy, a former Supreme Court judge, as its candidate for the post of vice-president.
Like Radhakrishnan, Reddy hails from South India. The Opposition’s nomination of Reddy is an attempt to avoid any split in the votes of its southern allies. While the NDA has more numbers to get Radhakrishnan elected, the unity among the Opposition to zero down on Reddy was laudable.
N. Mahadevan,
Chennai
Sir — The BJP has made a shrewd move by selecting C.P. Radhakrishnan as its vice-presidential candidate. The move has several implications. First, the BJP got its own party worker as the vice-presidential candidate. Second, Radhakrishnan’s election may help the saffron party get a foothold in Tamil Nadu. The Opposition’s candidate, B. Sudershan Reddy, a former judge, stands a slim chance against Radhakrishnan.
Vinay Asawa,
Howrah
Sir — It is good to see two stalwarts from South India contesting for the post of the vice-president. With the NDA having the numbers on its side, it is a foregone conclusion that C.P. Radhakrishnan will win the contest unless there is cross-voting by parliamentarians in favour of Justice B. Sudershan Reddy.
The vice-president is an apolitical post. One hopes whoever gets elected discharges his duties in line with the constitutional norms and conducts the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha in a non-partisan manner.
S. Balakrishnan,
Jamshedpur
Sir — C.P. Radhakrishnan has maintained associations with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the BJP throughout his political career. Praising Radhakrishnan as a “balanced and non-controversial personality”, Sanjay Raut, a member of Parliament from the Shiv Sena (UBT), urged the Opposition to focus on the larger issue of electoral malpractice and not get into a contest over the vice-presidential elections, which, according to Raut, the INDIA bloc “cannot win”.
Going by Raut’s logic, there is not need to attend Parliament and debate when ultimately the government will have its way. If the ruling party at the Centre spearheaded by the prime minister is influencing allies to vote for its candidate, it is only logical for the Opposition to put up a decent fight.
Anil Bagarka,
Mumbai
Sir — A scholarly person with good knowledge of the tenets of the Constitution would make the ideal vice-president. C.P. Radhakrishnan, who is deeply connected to the RSS, is the BJP’s nominee for vice-president. It is unfortunate that the BJP is wooing Tamil voters through its nomination of Radhakrishnan when the fact remains that neither the BJP nor Radhakrishnan has made any effort to do any good for the state.
Tharcius S. Fernando,
Chennai
Glorious fifty
Sir — Rajinikanth’s remarkable journey from working as a bus conductor in Bengaluru to being the undisputed superstar of Tamil cinema is remarkable. With his unmatched swag, effortless grace, and magnetic screen presence, Rajinikanth has carved a unique space in the hearts of audiences for 50 years now. Despite his phenomenal success, Rajinikanth has remained deeply connected to his roots — an enduring lesson in grace and simplicity.
M. Jeyaram,
Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu
Effective curb
Sir — The online gaming bill, which was recently passed in the Lok Sabha, seeks to ban all online games played with money to curb the rising instances of addiction and financial fraud. This move comes amidst growing concerns about the increasing prevalence of online gambling among young people and is a welcome decision.
Kiran Agarwal,
Calcutta
Tax free
Sir — In a bid to counter the reading crisis, Denmark has announced that it will eliminate its 25% sales tax on books. This will make books more accessible. Other countries should follow suit.
Sourish Misra,
Calcutta