A day after the Centre distanced itself from his remarks on legalising homosexuality, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said on Tuesday he would take up the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and advised the Home Ministry to be more responsible.
"Some of the actors make bold statements. They should desist from doing so," Ramadoss told reporters on the sidelines of the National Health summit in New Delhi. Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan had recently defended smoking in films saying that he did not believe Indian masses would start smoking as an on screen actor does. "The powers that be should look at bigger health issues than smoking in films," Khan had said.
If the BJP has to work as a junior partner of Vijay's TVK, then either the party will have to change the state leader, or the latter should change himself. Incidentally, ever since Vijay started talking politics and elections, the pro-BJP/Hindutva social media had stopped dragging his name into any non-existing issue.' In particular, they have stopped referring to him by his Christian name, 'Joseph Vijay', observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
"Creativity should be used to save lives, not to take them," Ramadoss told reporters on the sidelines of a function in New Delhi when asked about his reaction on SRK's recent comment about smoking in public. Khan, at a function recently, had reportedly said: "I think there should be a huge amount of creative freedom that should be allowed in cinema and arts." Commenting on the minister's remark, he said: "One should not go around picking on small little things."
A Delhi court on Tuesday cancelled its bailable warrants against former Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss after he appeared before it in a corruption case, involving grant of allegedly illegal permission by him to a medical college to admit students.
The smoking ban, a pet project of the health minister, was put into effect from October 2 and covered almost all public places, including hotels, restaurants, pubs, offices and international airports. While a majority of states were enthusiastic about implementing the ban, few like Maharashtra and Bihar showed reluctance in doing so.
Pointing out that Dr Venugopal was called by the SC/ST Commission four times but did not appear before it, the minister accused the AIIMS director of not respecting and responding to the decisions taken at the AIIMS Governing Body's meetings which was again "unfortunate".
Chief Minister M K Stalin has ordered a CB-CID probe to ensure comprehensive investigation and the government transferred Kallakurichi District Collector Sravan Kumar Jatavath and Superintendent of Police Samay Singh Meena was suspended, a statement said.
A battle is on between Ramadoss, who is the president of the institute, and Venugopal since last year when the apex body of the institute had recommended the dismissal of the director, which was stayed by the court.
The BJP game-plan: Take the top slot, or a close second, either for the 'Lotus' or the larger NDA, if it can and push the AIADMK to the third place, explains N Sathiya Moorthy.
Ramadoss said a digital library of traditional knowledge of various plants and medicines in the Indian system was being prepared for classification and patenting.
A Delhi court on Friday directed Central Bureau of Investigation to file its reply by August 4 on the bail pleas of former Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss and eight others accused in a corruption case related to a medical college scam.
Over the last five days, Modi visited all of south, held roadshows, made an aggressive bid for his party, and took on the rivals with full gusto, especially the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu, and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi in Telangana that was in power for 10 years.
Former Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss and eight others, accused in a corruption case relating to the grant of illegal permission to a medical college to admit students, were on Saturday granted bail by a Delhi court.
Justice Gita Mittal asked AIIMS director P Venugopal and Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss to file their replies by October 31 on the contempt petition of one Dr Manoj Kumar.
Hitting back at Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss for his repeated comments over smoking on the silver screen, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has said the the minister should focus on his own people and stop tarnishing the image of the film industry. The actor refused to agree that smoking and drinking scenes portrayed in the films provoke people to indulge in such practice in real life.
The BJP is now inventing new angles to keep its campaign relevant -- even if it's old wine in an old bottle, which is what the allegation on 'Katchatheevu' is, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Ramadoss had, earlier this week, said that Khan should not have smoked in the stands while watching a cricket match in Mumbai and that he and Amitabh Bachchan should learn a thing or two from superstar Rajinikant regarding smoking on screen. "I do not endorse smoking and I do not like anyone telling me personally what to do and what not to do," Khan had said in an interview to a private news channel.
. People don't die of the virus. Those who are dying are succumbing to secondary complications," Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss told reporters. \n
It would be a violation of fundamental rights, Ramadoss said.
In the morning, he offered prayers at the Dashashwamedh Ghat and the Kaal Bhairav temple in Varanasi.
"The prime minister has directed the two ministers to sit together and discuss the matter and sort out differences," Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters after the cabinet meeting. He said the cabinet deferred a decision on the issue which was being argued before the court
The Centre, under flak for taking a contradictory stand on the homosexuality law, on Monday told the Delhi High Court not to consider Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss' views on allowing gay sex among consenting adults."It doesn't matter what the minister says. It is also not important what the affidavit says. It is for the court to decide the issue," Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra said before a bench headed by Chief Justice A P Shah.
According to DMK, the voters are already consolidated on ideological lines, hence the impact of anti-incumbency, whether against the BJP Centre or the DMK state may not be too much, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Concerned over the impression they leave on youngsters when they smoke on the silver screen, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has urged Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to desist from smoking in their films. "The movies are most responsible (for encouraging smoking). When I said movies should not have smoking scenes, we have statistics which show that 52 per cent of children have their first puff of a cigarette because of movie celebrities."
Avoiding an answer on whether the ministry was seeking a ban on such advertisements, the minister said there should be a 'consensus' on such matters.
No human beings had been affected by bird flu in India so far and no cases have been reported, Union Health Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss said in Chennai on Sunday.
Cases are on the rise in Haryana, J&K, UP, Delhi and Rajasthan.
The government said relief activities have been expedited and that efforts to pump out stagnant water were on in different places in the city.
Wednesday's Vikravandi by-election has become a referendum on the Stalin government, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
A new entrant, whether a popular actor or not, has not been able to sweep the polls, as their fans had hoped for. Given a proven pattern, it should hold true for Vijay as well. Or, something drastically has to happen between now and 2026, asserts N Sathiya Moorthy.
'Modi is trying avenues to convince people why they should vote for the BJP.'
The BJP's parliamentary board, which held a meeting at 11, Ashoka Road, New Delhi, the headquarters of the Bharatiya Janata Party, had inconclusive deliberations about the alliance of the southern states on Friday.
Is the unusually and unbearably scorching Sun and the general laxity, bordering on laziness, among voters, responsible, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
It is early to make out which way the wind is blowing, but there is no denying that challenges for the BJP, far outweigh the advantages in this region, notes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
The Erode East assembly by-poll suddenly turned the spotlight on Bharatiya Janata Party with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam factions led by K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam rushing to Kamalalayam -- BJP state headquarters in Chennai -- seeking the saffron party's support for their respective parties.
Indications are that the DMK combine will win more seats than the AIADMK and BJP, but is facing a tough fight in about half a dozen from the rest, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy of the electoral contest in Tamil Nadu.
It is not much of an issue just now, but it could become one if the idea of caste census captures socio-political imagination, going beyond electoral tags and identities, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Stalin still enjoys a lot of sympathy and empathy as someone wishing well for the state, but not full-throated support as in 2019 and 2021, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
After visiting those being treated at Villupuram government medical college hospital, Chief Minister MK Stalin told reporters Villupuram that investigation into the matter would be transferred to the CB-CID and he assured tough action.
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