Ramadoss urges Bengal CM to kick the butt

NO SMOKE SCREEN: Ramadoss has already appealed to Amitabh Bachchan and SRK to avoid smoking in their films.

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New Delhi: The Union Health Minister is now targetting politicians for smoking after lecturing filmstars on the harmful effects of the cigarette.

Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday said it's time West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee gave up smoking.

Ramadoss made the appeal while inaugurating a WHO-South East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare workshop on illicit trade in tobacco products in New Delhi.

"I am aware that 71 per cent of the men in West Bengal use tobacco products including the Chief Minister. I have already urged him earlier (to quit)," Ramadoss said.

His statement came after West Bengal lost millions of dollars in foreign aid to its anti-smoking campaign because the funding agency went by Buddhadeb's public image of a smoker.

It is not the only financial loss Kolkata has suffered. Earlier, two World Health Organistaion applications for funding to curb tobacco were also rejected.

Buddhadeb did not comment on the report but his associates defended him saying the Chief Minister has always made sure that he doesn't smoke in public.

Meanwhile, starting October 2, 2008, there will be a countrywide ban on smoking in public places like offices, restaurants, pubs, bars, railway stations, airports and bus stops.

All Government and private buildings have been asked to enforce the act and if anyone is caught taking a drag, they will have to shell out a fine.

"Right now the fine is Rs 200, but soon we want to make it Rs 1,000 for individuals and Rs 5,000 for institutions that are allowing this," said Ramadoss.

Ramadoss had in January 2008 appealed to Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to avoid smoking in their films.

He said that Shah Rukh should not have smoked in the stands while watching a cricket match in Mumbai and, added that both Bachchan and SRK could learn something from Tamil superstar Rajnikant who stopped smoking onscreen following an appeal by the minister.