Another BJP MP defends tobacco amid warnings row

While the health ministry deferred implementation of the increase in size of pictorial health warnings on cigarette packets and other tobacco products after a parliamentary committee recommendation, it is interesting to note it had told the committee bolder tobacco warnings were more effective. A field test was also done with the new warnings.

The ministry cited examples of countries like Thailand, Canada and Australia, where large and graphic warnings were found effective in discouraging smoking and raising public awareness of its illeffects.

Meanwhile, amid a raging controversy over remarks by a BJP MP who is a “beedi” baron, another BJP MP, Ram Prasad Sarmah, waded into the row Friday, saying there was no clear proof linking cigarettes and cancer. “It is difficult to prove, whether it ( smoking) causes cancer or not... whether it contains any herbal medicine has to be found out.”

Former health minister Anbumani Ramadoss, saying he had been a “victim” of the tobacco lobby, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct implementation of the increased size of warnings to 85 per cent as fixed earlier. Mr Ramadoss’ Pattali Makkal Katchi ( PMK) is an NDA ally.

Presenting its case before the committee, the health ministry had said that the amendments in the coverage of principle display area for pictorial health warnings “has been introduced to honour international commitments to WHO framework convention on tobacco control to which India is the party as well to make the warnings more effective”.

It also made it clear that the amendments brought about by the notification 2014 were not “sudden” since the pictorial health warnings needed to be rotated every two years or earlier as determined by the Central government. “The last round of rotation was effected in April 2013… prior to bringing out the amendments this ministry had prepared dummy pack of bidis with the new pack warnings to field test the efficacy of large warnings… and it was found feasible to print other information on the remaining space after displaying the other pack warnings,” it had told the committee.

However, dismissing the arguments, the committee asked the health ministry to take views of other ministries, specially from the ministry of labour and employment and ministry of agriculture, before any such implementation.

The committee said that they had received a large number of representations from MPs as well as various people and stakeholders involved in the tobacco trade against the proposed notification that expressed serious apprehensions on the livelihood of people involved in the tobacco trade. The committee argued that they were yet to hear the view of experts in the field therefore, till then the notification may be kept in abeyance.

Dismissing arguments against increasing the size of pictorial warnings on cigarette packets as being “ignorant” and “foolish”, PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss said, “It is high time the Prime Minister intervened. I appeal to him to order the health ministry to increase pictorial warning to 85 per cent immediately.”

Mr Ramadoss said both these were ignorant and foolish utterances without any scientific basis and said the Centre should stop it “as the country should not be put to shame”.