People's Democracy

CPI(M) For Uniform Standards On Residues In Soft Drinks

THE CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and MP, Sitaram Yechury, demanded the central government to formulate uniform standards with regard to pesticide residues in soft drinks. 

Addressing a press conference in parliament on August 22, 2006, Yechury asked the government to come up with country-specific standards to avoid the controversy and confusion in the minds of consumers. Referring to the recent controversy over pesticide residues in soft drinks, he informed the media about the JPC recommendation to this effect made in July 2003. He also told the press that the national level experts committee constituted by union health ministry is negotiating with the concerned authorities to finalise these standards which the soft drink companies have to abide by. He demanded the government to expedite the process to put in place India specific standards in this respect. 

Asked about the quitting of Telangana Rashtra Samithi ministers from the cabinet and TRS moving out of UPA, Yechury reiterated the CPI(M) stand on the formation of separate Telangana state. The CPI(M) is opposed to formation of smaller states on policy grounds. It believes that the States Reorganisation Committee – which was formed following the struggle for linguistic states as part of the Independence struggle – justifiably decided the language as criteria for the formation of a state and hence the emergence of linguistic states. The Party still believes in this criteria. He felt conceding such demands violating the linguistic principle would only open up pandora’s box. He also did not agree with the claim that smaller states would help in better development of those regions, saying the experience of smaller states formed in the recent past belied it.

(INN)