COLAS: Soon after the Centre for Science and Environment released a report showing high levels of pesticides in soft drinks, Ramadoss dismissed the findings as unsubstantiated in Parliament. His remarks raised a furore, and Ramadoss later backtracked, saying colas were bad for health, with or without the pesticides. Again, his advice was to celebrities, like stars and sportspersons, to stop advertising the same.

SEX: Ramadoss’s party PMK was the first to raise moral objection to actress Khusboo’s comments on premarital sex. Questioned about the same, he tried to defend his party. “We need many more Khusboos to talk about safe sex to the country’s youth. But you cannot propagate sex outside or prior to marriage,” he said. “We have to remember that we are Indians and we have still not reached a point where we are comfortable discussing sex openly. It is not that we Indians don’t have sex. It’s just that we don’t talk about it.”

RAMDEV: Ramadoss questioned the yoga guru’s claims of curing AIDS and cancer through yoga, saying such things which are not scientifically and clinically validated should not be propagated. The yoga guru was also served a notice to stop making false claims about the curative powers of yoga. Ramadoss set off another furore when he said samples of ayurvedic formulations seized from, what was said to be a pharmacy run by Ramdev, carried “traces of human and animal remains”.

MCI: The Minister drew severe criticism for his proposal to bring the Medical Council of India (MCI), which has been an autonomous body for many years, under the direct control of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The council determines courses of study in medical colleges, inspects examinations and ensures maintenance of a register of medical practitioners in the country. A parliamentary standing committee on health slammed Ramadoss over the proposal to end the MCI’s autonomy.

... contd.