Chavan to make all MLAs sit for No-Tobacco class

In a role reversal of sorts, politicians who make a career out of lecturing the electorate, will now have to listen to experts telling them what they must do - stay away from tobacco. Having signed a pledge to fight tobacco consumption along with Tata Memorial Hospital, the Chief Minister is now targeting smokers and gutkha users in the state Assembly first.

And the tobacco cleanup drive will kick off during the upcoming monsoon session of the state legislature that begins on July 14, where doctors will rub shoulders with legislators to give them a lesson or two on the hazards of consuming tobacco.

"The CM believes that all MLAs and MLCs, who are largely into smoking or chewing tobacco, should be the first ones to learn of the hazards," said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, associate professor, Head and Neck Department at Tata Hospital. "That's why he's asked us to hold lectures during the monsoon session."
Complimenting the initiative, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told Mumbai Mirror late on Sunday evening, "Yes, I have requested the doctors to hold awareness sessions for political leaders during the monsoon session.

If the leaders are aware, they can relay the information to the common man. The West has succeeded in curbing even passive smoking, and it's time we took this seriously."

The lecture will centre on the hazards of smoking cigarettes and beedis or chewing gutkha and khaini (a form of gutkha). Besides a common talk to be held on one day for all legislators, individual counselling specific to tobacco users over a couple of days is also on the cards. Besides PowerPoint slides, the education material will comprise posters depicting gory pictures of those who've suffered ill-effects of tobacco consumption and other nitty-gritty of illnesses triggered.