Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress in Shivamogga have been engaged in a heated argument over reports suggesting that areca could cause cancer.
The dispute arose in the context of the elections to the posts of directors of the Malnad Areca Marketing Cooperative Society Ltd (MAMCOS) on Tuesday, February 4.
MAMCOS represents areca growers spread over Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, and Davangere districts. Supporters of both parties are in the fray. While Sahakara Bharathi represents the supporters of the BJP, Congress supporters are represented by Rashtriya Sahakara Prathishthana. As many as 39 candidates, including an independent candidate, are in the fray.
In the run-up to the elections, leaders of both parties traded allegations against each other regarding who was responsible for the ‘carcinogenic’ tag for Areca. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson and president of Areca Growers’ Association in Shivamogga B.A. Ramesh Hegde alleged that people holding high positions under the BJP rule in the past repeatedly stated that the areca was carcinogenic and that worried the growers.
Anupriya Patel, the Union Minister of State for Health in 2017, stated areca was carcinogenic, and Ashwin Kumar Choubey, when he took over the Ministry, maintained the same.
Former Minister and Tirthahalli MLA Araga Jnanendra, in a press conference on Sunday, alleged that it was the Congress-led UPA government that filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that areca was carcinogenic. He maintained that the BJP government was making all efforts to put an end to this by asking reputed research institutions to conduct research.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Mr. Ramesh Hegde, addressed a press conference in Shivamogga, stating that Jnanendra’s allegation was baseless. The affidavit filed by the UPA government in 2013 did not talk about areca. Instead, it was related to tobacco and gutka. The BJP leaders had been engaged in a false campaign against the Congress party, he alleged.
As many as 11,511 members of the MAMCOS will elect 19 directors in the elections to be held between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The polling will be held at nine centres – Shivamogga, Sagar, Bhadravathi, Tirthahalli, Hosangara, Tarikere, Koppa, Sringeri, and Channagiri. The counting of votes will be held on the same day after the polling.
Published – February 03, 2025 05:53 pm IST
