There is no Indian evidence to link cancer to cigarettes, said the chief of a parliamentary committee earlier this week, commissioning a national controversy. Now, another member of the same panel has backed that opinion, asking, "Why can't doctors explain why chain smokers don't get cancer?"
Shyam Charan Gupta of BJP made a series of indignant pronouncements to NDTV today to argue against strict rules proposed by the government to curb smoking. "Sugar is also harmful and causes diabetes - no one can stop that," he said to bolster his argument that the tobacco industry is being unfairly targeted. Mr Gupta is the owner of a beedi-making business that is worth hundreds of crores, but denied a conflict of interest in serving on a committee that has just given the tobacco industry a major breather.
Mr Gupta joined forces with him in citing that there is no local evidence of extensive damage done by tobacco. He also said beedis or hand-rolled cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes. "Why are we working under WHO (World Health Organization) pressure?" he challenged. He then invoked the PM's pet Make-in -India campaign which focuses on promoting manufacturing. "We have a "Make in India" slogan... one crore people are involved in the manufacture, transport and sale of beedis... we can't affect them," he said.
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