Studies on tobaaco and cancer is foriegn conspiracy

[hinduwoman]

So saith the sagacious Indian Parliamentary panel

Dilip Gandhi, head of Parliamentary panel on subordinate legislation examining the provisions of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 which had sought deferment of the move, said all studies in this regard have come from abroad and one should consider the Indian aspect too.


The Parliamentary Committee, which Gandhi - a BJP MP from Maharashtra heads, had "strongly" urged the government to keep on hold its proposal to increase the size of pictorial warnings on tobacco packets from 40% to 85%.


"All agree on the harmful effects of tobacco. But there is no Indian survey report to prove that tobacco consumption leads to cancer. All the studies are done abroad. Cancer does not happen only because of tobacco. We have to study the Indian context, as four crore people in states like Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh are dependent on bidi-making through Tendupatta," Gandhi told PTI.

Then another member of the panel who is a tobacco baron explained very earnestly:

Before the dust could settle over BJP lawmaker Dilip Gandhi's claim that an India-specific study was needed to prove that tobacco caused cancer, a colleague of his has now chimed in, saying there is no evidence to link tobacco to cancer.
...
But Gupta shouldn't have been part of the panel while it examined this proposal--he has business interests in tobacco. By his own admission, his beedi business has an annual turnover of Rs. 200-250 crore and accounts for 1-1.5% of India's beedi trade.
...
Gupta also told The Indian Express that move to make pictorial warnings bigger is an American conspiracy targeting Modi's 'Make In India' campaign.
“Beedis are made from green leaves which are dried. It has a herbal effect. Admittedly there is some nicotine in tobacco but the quantity is very small. I know because I am in the business. I can show you thousands of people who smoke beedi and are fine. America-funded NGOs are trying to put the blame for lifestyle diseases on tobacco in a bid to kill the indigenous industry. They will destroy Modi’s Make in India call,” he said.

Aaaaand.... patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel