12-02-2004, 08:37 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>AIDS not a priority for Parliamentarians</b>
NDTV Correspondent
Wednesday, December 1, 2004 (New Delhi):
AIDS could be one of the biggest health threats India faces right now, but it is clearly not something our MPs are losing any sleep over.
Far from campaigning for AIDS awareness, many of them actually need a lesson in HIV-AIDS.
When NDTV spoke to them on the subject, many MPs either refused to comment or confessed ignorance.
"We are embarrassed that Tamil Nadu has the largest number of AIDS cases," said CPI (M) MP P Mohan.
Dirty word
The CPI (M) MP thinks condom is a dirty word. "The use of condoms is immoral. This disease spreads because of mental weakness. People should be punished for using condoms," he said.
Some MPs, meanwhile, had rather simplistic solutions to the problem.
"According to Indian tradition, if people are devotional, they will not get AIDS," said BJP MP Sumitra Mahajan.
And not knowing about the disease didn't stop the MPs from having an opinion on it.
"I don't know what causes it, but I know that there is not enough awareness about it," said Babulal Marandi.
The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) has set up a parliamentary committee to tackle the issues of AIDS awareness. But perhaps the committee should begin their work closer to home.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
NDTV Correspondent
Wednesday, December 1, 2004 (New Delhi):
AIDS could be one of the biggest health threats India faces right now, but it is clearly not something our MPs are losing any sleep over.
Far from campaigning for AIDS awareness, many of them actually need a lesson in HIV-AIDS.
When NDTV spoke to them on the subject, many MPs either refused to comment or confessed ignorance.
"We are embarrassed that Tamil Nadu has the largest number of AIDS cases," said CPI (M) MP P Mohan.
Dirty word
The CPI (M) MP thinks condom is a dirty word. "The use of condoms is immoral. This disease spreads because of mental weakness. People should be punished for using condoms," he said.
Some MPs, meanwhile, had rather simplistic solutions to the problem.
"According to Indian tradition, if people are devotional, they will not get AIDS," said BJP MP Sumitra Mahajan.
And not knowing about the disease didn't stop the MPs from having an opinion on it.
"I don't know what causes it, but I know that there is not enough awareness about it," said Babulal Marandi.
The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) has set up a parliamentary committee to tackle the issues of AIDS awareness. But perhaps the committee should begin their work closer to home.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->