More BJP Lawmakers Defend Tobacco, Former Health Minister A Ramadoss Says They Have 'Low Acumen'

Another BJP parliamentarian joined the "smoking is not dangerous" brigade on Friday. "I knew two elderly people. They used to smoke 60 cigarettes per day and also drink a bottle of alcohol daily," he said, "but one died at the age of 86, the other is still alive. So whether smoking is cancerous or not is debatable," said Ram Prasad Sarmah, the BJP lawmaker from Assam, claiming the instance is an undeniable proof that there was no connection between tobacco and cancer.