Trash to treasure

Sir — The adage, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, is well-known. One is often fortunate enough to carry home some items from the workplace which would otherwise be wasted — food, for example, or books or stationery. But Merrill Rummel surely did not expect to find a painting by Pablo Picasso when he unpacked the carton he had been told to take home from his workplace at the loading dock of Logan International Airport in Boston. He later returned it, but one wonders what would have happened had he just thrown away the carton as trash. This shows that good things come to those who do not waste.

Adrita Bose, Calcutta

Power games

Sir — The coming together of leaders from some 20 Opposition parties on a common platform in Patna is a significant development (“Lessons from Brigade”, June 23). The parties face an uphill task to stop the saffron juggernaut, but they should focus on avoiding a split in the non-Hindutva votes by fielding a candidate from the united Opposition in seats where they have a likelihood of winning. This means that the Congress must allow regional parties to take the upper hand in areas where they are stronger. The Bharatiya Janata Party must be defeated if the founding fathers’ vision of an inclusive India is to be preserved.

G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Sir — In all probability, the vendetta politics of the Centre, Hindu-Muslim polarisation, and the necessity of projecting a united Opposition were the key topics of discussion at the Opposition meet in Patna. A number of Opposition parties agreed to join the meeting organised and hosted by the chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar. Unity is the need of the hour. Regional leaders must set aside their differences in order to dethrone the BJP.

Jahangir Ali, Mumbai

Sir — It is disheartening that the chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, made his participation in the united Opposition conditional on unanimous support for his party’s stance against the Centre’s ordinance on the control of administrative services in Delhi (“A test of sacrifice”, June 23). The meeting in Patna was meant to chalk out a strategy to take on the BJP. Kejriwal has fallen for the Centre’s trick of driving a wedge in the Opposition.

Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai

Porous border

Sir — West Bengal shares a porous border with neighbouring Bangladesh, making it vulnerable to illegal migration. The unchecked influx of Bangladeshi and Rohingya Muslims has raised concerns in some circles. The issue of illegal migration has become highly politicised in Bengal, with parties using it to consolidate their support bases. Since measures to identify illegal immigrants, such as the National Register of Citizens, have faced criticism, political parties should come together and devise a method to solve this contentious issue.

Raja Bagchi, Ranchi

Unstable region

Sir — There can be no denying that the Middle East has been chaotic for a long time. Civil wars in Libya, Syria and Yemen along with feeble governments in Iraq and Lebanon have presented challenges to lasting peace. It is unfortunate that economic unrest and sectarianism have plagued these former colonies of European powers who left without putting in place stable systems of governance.

Arka Goswami,West Burdwan

Parting shot

Sir — It was alarming to read reports of several vehicles being vandalised by a gang of hooligans in Pune’s Taljai Vasahat and Karve Nagar. The media should shine a light on such violent activities.

Sudhir Kangutkar, Thane, Maharashtra