Sir — History is replete with instances which show that it is difficult to dislodge a military government from the saddle once it is firmly astride. In Myanmar, the junta has a history of forcibly occupying parliamentary seats with the objective of enjoying perennial power (“Injured democracy”, March 7). Now, the citizens of Myanmar are undergoing a harrowing experience at the hands of the Tatmadaw. The international community must come to the rescue of the people of Myanmar. It should create pressure on the army so as to stop its atrocities on the countrymen.

It seems that the army has launched a war against the unarmed people of the country. A coup is not acceptable in a civilized nation. The army must withdraw and hand over the power to the National League for Democracy-led government that won a landslide victory.

Aranya Sanyal,
Siliguri

Sir — Even in a country as democratic as the United States of America, a nasty political melodrama was recently witnessed when the former president, Donald Trump, lost a hard-fought election and then alleged voter fraud for his party’s failure at the hustings. He nearly proceeded to overturn the election results by means of force. Similarly, in the recent elections held in Myanmar, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party tasted a humiliating drubbing. This has now led to the army perpetrating a coup against the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, on the pretext of voter fraud. The intensifying stand-off in Myanmar, however, is not surprising — the country has a long history of peaceful resistance to military rule as well as brutal crackdowns.

The battered condition of democracy in Myanmar is disappointing. Earlier, incidents of genocide against sections of the population sullied the country’s record. It is now time for the comity of nations to proscribe the military government socially and impose sanctions on it.

Seetharam Basaani,
Hanamkonda, Telangana

Bitter taste

Sir — Even as the protests against the three controversial farm laws continue, apple farmers in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand seem to have spotted a speck that is causing a rot in their business. Some private players are allegedly importing Iranian apples in the name of Afghan apples — the latter are exempt from taxes. This is hampering the sale of indigenous varieties of the fruit. Apples from the three states in question are famous the world over. Given its lofty talk of being ‘vocal for local’, the Centre should immediately look into the complaint and act in the best interests of the farmers.

Abhiroopa Das,
Calcutta

Look deeper

Sir — There is no place for true ideology-based politics in New India. Ideologies are now used as triggers, only to win elections by polarizing the masses, through appeasement or hate-mongering.

It is true that when ideologically motivated political parties were created, there must have been a specific thought process behind each of them, based on the societal situation of the time. But times have changed, and there is no need for those outdated ideologies any more. The perceptions and priorities of the people, too, have changed. As such, staunchly motivated parties can only disrupt communal harmony or incite violence.

These days we see ministers jump ship from one political party to another with polar opposite ideologies right before elections. This proves that there is no ideological commitment in these political leaders. Rather it is simply about who is providing a better package, just like it is in a corporate deal.

It is unfortunate to see that we, the common people of the country, fall prey to such ideological warfare. We should understand that these ideologies will not improve our lives in any way, and we definitely should not base our votes on them.

The youth today should not tie itself to a polarizing thought process or succumb to propaganda. Instead, it should be more concerned about whether a party can deliver on issues such as employment, price rise and education and whether it can bring about positive change by making the lives of ordinary citizens better.

Indranil Barat,
Dhanbad

Pay attention

Sir — The lack of media coverage of the Simlipal fire is disturbing. Newspapers and social media are abuzz when a forest in a foreign land catches fire. But the fact that such huge stretches of forests are burning in Odisha — even as the Simlipal reserve continues to burn, the Kuldiha sanctuary has caught fire — is hardly generating any curiosity or support.

The state authorities and firefighters are putting up a strong fight. But this will not be enough. The Centre must deploy aid for Odisha at once, and ordinary citizens should do their part to help as well.

Ayan Sen,
Calcutta