Imphal, Feb. 27: After campaigning against drugs and liquor, the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF) of Manipur has imposed a ban on chewing tobacco. The RPF, whose crusade against social evils has earned it the image of an outfit with a conscience, said in a statement here that all brands of khaini and zarda should be neither sold nor consumed in the state from April 13. “Anybody who is found violating the ban will be punished without warning,” it added.
The outfit appealed to elders, especially parents and guardians, to advise their wards against chewing tobacco.
The RPF observes April 13 as “martyrs’ day” and its decision to prohibit the consumption of tobacco products is part of an intensive campaign against intoxicants. It accused the Centre of launching a “poison war” to destroy the youths of Manipur physically and mentally. “This poison war is one of the many strategies employed by the government of India to destroy the youths of our state.”