Ramadoss demands blanket ban on Coca Cola, Pepsi

Chennai, Aug 7 (UNI) Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder leader S Ramadoss, whose party is a key constituent in the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre, today demanded a blanket ban on the sale of Coca Cola and Pepsi, following reports of presence of pesticide in the soft drinks.

Expressing shock and surprise over the reports, the PMK leader, in a statement here, said some of the State Governments had banned the sale of the soft drinks in the school and college campus, but it was not enough and the Centre should slap a nationwide ban.

The Centre, instead, could encourage sale, health drinks like tender coconut, palm drink, sugarcane juice and fruit juices, he said suggesting that the Government itself should take over the manufacture and sale of these drinks.

Questioning the need for allowing imports of chicken fry and vermicelli and other products, Dr Ramadoss said that the multinational companies were dominating the Indian market, rendering jobless, thousands of those, who were engaged in Indian retail business.

''If we continue to allow these imports in the pretext of liberalisation and globalisation, the small and marginal traders and retail business will be wiped out and the situation will lead to unemployment problem,'' Dr Ramadoss warned.

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