Daijiworld Media Network-Bengaluru (RJP)

Bengaluru, Sep 14 : Month of September has been a gift month for chief minister Siddaramaiah. This will continue till January next year, it is learnt. Unfortunately for him, they are not the gifts sent with love, but the gifts sent with a demand.

With a demand that they want a ban on chewing tobacco, sold with pan masala, the students from Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Hassan and Mandya districts have been sending tobacco sachets to the chief minister's office. So far the students have sent almost 5,000 tobacco sachets by post with an aim to despatch one lac sachets before January next year.

This is one of the many activities being undertaken by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), as part of its nationwide campaign called 'Students Against Drug’. Students from 26 colleges have been participating in this campaign.

Tobacco sachets will also be sent to the prime minister’s office, the students revealed. Students have also sent 25,000 postcards to the chief minister’s office with the same demand to ban tobacco.This will also continue till January next year.

Student leaders said that chewing tobacco was available in sachets which cost Rs 5. With an additional one rupee, one can get separate chewing tobacco pack with the pan masala these days. "A ban on gutka is not enough." they said.

More than 10 lac deaths take place in India due to the consumption of tobacco.