Letter to the Health Minister

To
Dr. A. Ramadoss
Honorable Cabinet Minister
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Government of India.

Dear Sir,

I am a humble citizen of this country run by you and your esteemed colleagues. I quit smoking a few years ago, as I am mildly asthmatic. I drink alcohol socially.

Sir, I have noticed your often-made statements in media asking filmstars and cricketers to stop smoking on screen / appear in surrogate alcohol ads. Your logic for that is a star influences common people, and more importantly youngsters. I appreciate your concern for the health of citizens of India.

However, Sir, I doubt the will of your department and the government to rid us of the evils of smoking and drinking. If you so wanted people to stop drinking and smoking, why not ban the products itself? After all if there is no cigarette / no liquor manufactured, no one can buy them legally! Isn't there a ban on marijuana? Or cocaine? So, ban all tobacco companies! Ban all liquor companies! Can you do that Sir? It is impossible, is it, Sir? Is it because these tobacco and liquor companies are the biggest tax payers and hence biggest contributors to the budget? Your government need these companies to thrive. So on one hand, your government happily banks the money from these evils, and on the other hand, a part of the same government (read you) makes occasional brouhaha over these evils. This is hypocrisy!

If your intentions are right, then why not implement (and not just provide lip service) a ban on smoking in public at least? I have been fortunate to visit Singapore, where cigarette consumption in public is unthinkable, thanks to the strict laws and more importantly strict implementation of the laws. We all want a healthier India, please take small but definite steps towards that, we are with you. And please stop this sensationalism of playing to the media.

Yours very sincerely

A health concerned citizen of India