.... the brain is not a vessel to be filled,
It is something to be IGNITED

Tobacco money seals politicians’ lips 

April 2006; Chandigarh: Many wondered why even after India’s ratification of the “Framework Convention on Tobacco Control” and despite a two years old tobacco control act nothing much has changed concerning enforcement of the tobacco laws and controlling the tobacco menace. People often contemplate as to  how tobacco companies are able to evade legal action by the government while still doing surrogate advertisement in the name of selling garments, offering bravery awards or fashion shows, etc. 

In a communication sent to the Health Ministry, the NGO Burning Brain Society (BBS) brought some gory facts to public limelight. BBS revealed that all the major political parties who are opposing tobacco bans in movies and soft peddling the enforcement of the tobacco laws have been provided open political donations by major multinational tobacco companies. The donation runs in crores for the national parties. In 2005, India’s biggest tobacco company ITC Limited had provided 1.44 crore Rupees to the Congress and 1.37 crore to BJP (The ruling and the opposition political parties in Indian). Even Punjab’s political party, “Shiromani Akali Dal,” which claims to work on Sikhism philosophy (prohibiting tobacco use) accepted a sum of Rs. 8 lakh from the tobacco company. ITC’s audited financial report shows that in 2005 it donated a sum ranging from 3 lakhs to 144 lakhs to 18 major political parties having representation in the parliament. It is the same story for the current financial year too though the official figures for 2006 are yet to be published. 

Mr. Hemant Goswami, chairman of BBS said, “Every year nearly a million people die because of tobacco use and about two million youngsters become new tobacco addicts in India. In the light of these facts, it is quite shameful that even the most trusted political parties have decided to be a part of the tobacco genocide and sided with tobacco companies solely for the money they provide them.” While on one hand many social activists are spending and risking their lives to contain the tobacco generated death toll but unfortunately on the other hand most of the politicians are finding ways to mitigate the good work done on tobacco control even though their actual duty is to save millions from dying, Hemant rued. 

It may be mentioned that in the 2005 (WHO sponsored) study done on the use of tobacco in movies it was found that over 67 percent Hindi movies having product shots of tobacco brands were of those brands which were marketed by ITC. Many politicians had openly opposed  the move of restraining tobacco product shots in Hindi movies.

Burning Brain has requested the Health Ministry to desist from involving such functionary in any activity/committee on tobacco control who belongs to political parties accepting donations from tobacco companies.

Some of the parties which have accepted money in 2005 from ITC Limited are All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - Rs. 0.06 Crore; All India Trinamool Congres - Rs. 0.04 Crore; Bahujan Samaj Party - Rs.0.19 Crore ; Bharatiya Janata Party - Rs.1.37 Crores; Biju Janata Dal - Rs.0.11Crore ; Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - Rs.0.16 Crore; Indian National Congress - Rs.1.44 Crores; Indian National Lok Dal - Rs.0.03 Crore; Jammu & Kashmir National Conference -Rs. 0.03 Crore ; Nationalist Congress Party - Rs.0.09 Crore; Samajwadi Party -Rs. 0.36 Crore; Shiv Sena - Rs.0.12 Crore; Telegu Desam Party - Rs. 0.15 Crore; Janata Dal (United) - Rs.0.08 Crore; Jharkhand Mukti Morcha - Rs.0.05Crore; Rashtriya Janata Dal - Rs. 0.21 Crore; Shiromani Akali Dal - Rs. 0.08 Crore; Telangana Rashtra Samithi -Rs. 0.05 Crore. 

 Documents available online for further details:  

1.                                          Letter written by Burning Brain Society (www.burningbrain.org) to the Ministry mentioning the acceptance of money by political parties, available at http://www.burningbrain.org/pdf/violation_wills_MoH.pdf

2.                                          Annual Report of ITC Limited available at the ITC website www.itcportal.com. Check Page No. 91 of the report (which is page 19 of the below mentioned file), it lists the name of all the political parties (At para 19(xi)) who accepted money from them. Check http://www.itcportal.com/itc_annualreports05/pdfs/9SchToTheAcc(73-103).pdf

FOLLOW-UP: September 2006

The Politician-Tobacco Corporate Nexus create concerns
 

Further to the expose by Burning Brain Society in April 2006 a young and dedicated journalist, Khushwant Singh again highlighted the nexus of politicians and tobacco companies in a front page story of 'Times of India" dated September 16, 2005. The news created a ripple in the political circle and highlighted the important question of whether the politicians should accept money from the tobacco industry at all.

The reason seemed to be more religious as one of the parties which accepted the money was the “Akali Dal,” which claims to follow the Sikhism tenets. In the following mirth of political mudslinging, the larger question whether tobacco money should be accepted at all by any political party got away to some extend. All political functionaries do accept the fact (in private) that tobacco money was bad but unfortunately not many are willing to speak openly.  

A public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking directions for banning the recognised political parties from accepting donations from tobacco companies figured in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on September 20, 2006. However the court expressed its inability to give any such direction and asked the petitioner to approach the government and represent to the political parties.

See some of the news reports at;

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JQ0cvMjAwNi8wOS8xNiNBcjAwMTAz&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom

Another News Report

“Tobacco money” is not merely a religious issue: BBS

Chandigarh: September 19, 2006:- Burning Brain Society (BBS), the NGO which exposed the links of tobacco companies and politicians by revealing about the donations given by tobacco companies to parliamentarians expressed strong resentment on the casual way in which the government and the election commission is taking this matter and the issue of political donations to influence the parliament.  

Reacting to the furor created by the revelations of donations by tobacco company ITC to Shrimoni Akali Dal (SAD), Hemant Goswami, chairperson of BBS said that it was not only SAD which has accepted the tobacco money but 18 political parties having representation in the parliament have received the tobacco money. Fourteen of these political parties belong to the ruling alliance and the lions share has gone to Congress and BJP who among themselves received 28.1 million rupees.  

Mr. Hemant said that the issue is not merely of religious importance but rather of great public and social importance which highlight the important question of raising funds for elections through business organizations wanting to influence the policies of the country, which may be otherwise against the larger public interest. If it is merely a question of a Sikh receiving election fund, then Mr. Badal, Captain Amarinder Singh and Dr. Manmohan Singh all are at par, as it’s the tobacco money which is helping them in their political functioning. 

BBS spokesperson said, “It’s quite shameful that even the most trusted political parties have decided to be a part of the tobacco genocide and sided with tobacco companies despite the fact that every year nearly a million people die because of tobacco use and about two million youngsters become new tobacco addicts in India.” Mr. Goswami rued that “While many social activists are spending and risking their lives to fight the misdeeds of the tobacco giants, but unfortunately the politicians whose actual duty is to save millions from dying are finding ways to mitigate the good work done on tobacco control.” 

“We shall be soon approaching the Election Commission to draft new rules on a policy to accept political donation from organisations whose influence on the parliament can work against public interest and welfare,” Hemant informed.  

WHO GOT WHAT – DETAILS

According to the 2005 financial report of ITC Limited:  All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - Rs. 0.06 Crore; All India Trinamool Congres - Rs. 0.04 Crore; Bahujan Samaj Party - Rs.0.19 Crore ; Bharatiya Janata Party - Rs.1.37 Crores; Biju Janata Dal - Rs.0.11Crore ; Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - Rs.0.16 Crore; Indian National Congress - Rs.1.44 Crores; Indian National Lok Dal - Rs.0.03 Crore; Jammu & Kashmir National Conference -Rs. 0.03 Crore ; Nationalist Congress Party - Rs.0.09 Crore; Samajwadi Party -Rs. 0.36 Crore; Shiv Sena - Rs.0.12 Crore; Telegu Desam Party - Rs. 0.15 Crore; Janata Dal (United) - Rs.0.08 Crore; Jharkhand Mukti Morcha - Rs.0.05Crore; Rashtriya Janata Dal - Rs. 0.21 Crore; Shiromani Akali Dal - Rs. 0.08 Crore; Telangana Rashtra Samithi -Rs. 0.05 Crore.

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