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THAPAR: The right to frighten 

When you think of the number of times I’ve criticised Anbumani Ramadoss — and usually pretty severely — for seeking to ban smoking or prohibit smoking in films, you might wonder why today I’m writing to support his proposal to force cigarette and bidi manufacturers to carry warning pictures and symbols on their packets. Am I being contradictory? Not at all. . . .

When Britain and Ireland banned smoking in public places, it wasn’t an easy decision to take — and I, for one, did not approve — but few doubted that from a national health perspective it made sense. It wasn’t a ban on smoking but a huge extension of the areas where you cannot smoke. After initial grumbling, the British and the Irish accepted. Like bitter medicine, they knew it’s for their good. Do our politicians have the strength to act similarly?

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