Paan traders laud BJP MP for "taking up their cause"

A day after NCP chief Sharad Pawar ridiculed BJP MP Dilip Gandhi over his comment on link between tobacco and cancer, the paan traders here have lauded Gandhi for "taking up their cause."
Pune Paan Merchants Association President Sharad More confirmed media reports that a delegation of the organisation had met Gandhi at his residence in Ahmednagar on Saturday to felicitate him for "taking up our cause" through the parliamentary committee as the industry involved employment of about four crore people.
"Ban on gutkha is ok. But there is no proof to link raw tobacco with cancer," More told reporters.

Pawar had yesterday said, "I am not an expert in medical field. I used to consume gutka (flavoured tobacco mix) so I suffered this (oral cancer). I had to undergo operation. My lower and upper teeth had to be removed."
"I did that (underwent treatment) in time and that is why I came out of this. But in Ahmednagar, some 'knowledgeable' public representatives say this (tobacco) doesnt't have any effect. "It seems these people have a deep knowledge of medical science," he had said.
After Gandhi created a controversy with the statement that there is no Indian study linking tobacco with cancer, he recently also said that tobacco actually improves digestion.

Speaking at Adhal village in Srigonda tehsil of Ahmednagar district on Friday, Gandhi said, "There is no study which shows that tobacco causes cancer...There are people who have chewed tobacco but survived for 100 years."
What makes Gandhi's view significant is the fact that he heads the parliamentary panel on subordinate legislation examining the provisions of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act.