Declare conflict of interest: Naidu PAAN TRADERS LAUD MP

New Delhi, April 6: Amid a raging debate over BJP MPs in tobacco trade on a panel looking into framing rules for the product, parliamentary affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday made it clear that anybody having conflict of interest is supposed to declare it as per rules.

Accosted with a barrage of questions on the conflict of interest among party MPs linked to tobacco trade, Naidu said the Committees do their work as per rules and will submit their report to Parliament.

“Parliamentary issues cannot be discussed here like this. The committees will do their work as per rules and regulations and Pune: A day after NCP chief Sharad Pawar ridiculed BJP MP Dilip Gandhi over his comment on link between tobacco and cancer, the paan traders here have lauded Gandhi for "taking up their cause." Pune Paan Merchants Association President Sharad More confirmed media they will submit the report to Parliament, and Parliament will take a view. From outside, I do not want to say anything.

“Anybody who has got a conflict of interest, as per the rule of Parliament you are supposed to declare reports that a delegation of the organisation had met Gandhi at his residence in Ahmednagar on Saturday to felicitate him for "taking up our cause" through the parliamentary committee as the industry involved employment of about four crore people. —PTI the conflict of interest, if any. And then the Committee and the Parliament takes care of it,” he said

Mr Naidu, however, refused to comment on whether the party has directed him to ask its MP Shyama Charan Gupta, who is part of tobacco trade and a member of Parliamentary Committee of Subordinate Legislation, which is looking into framing rules for tobacco trade, to resign.

He did not respond to speculation that government has asked its MPs having conflict of interest to resign from such parliamentary panels.

Another party MP Dilip Gandhi, who heads the parliamentary panel, had recently said there was no Indian study to show the link between tobacco use and cancer and had asked government to stall the increase the size of pictorial warnings on tobacco products from 40 per cent to 85 per cent. — PTI