Prime Minister Manmohan Singh attends G20 meet in London

Phoonk le: Cigarette companies may breathe a little easier with Union Health minister Anbumani Ramadoss' resignation. But his plan was to take the anti-tobacco crusade to the next level File pic

A 50-year-old unwritten rule whereby the heads of the IMF and World Bank are decided by European and the US governments may end if Singh gets his way.

And even the EC can't object if the Congress gets mileage from this milestone. Of course, it remains to be seen whether the G 20 summit will makes a strong statement of support for fiscal stimulus actions that would boost confidence inu00a0 the global economic situation or just end in a whimper.

Butting in again

Cigarette companies may breathe a little easier with Ramadoss' resignation. But his plan was to take his anti-tobacco crusade to the next level. New targets on the minister's radar were hookah parlours in metros. He has already issued "instructions" to the states to ensure that hookah bars are shut down at the earliest. Wonder if anybody will bother, now that he has gone.

Surprisingly, his crusade has drawn a swift response from "liberal" Mumbai's Mayor, Shubha Raul. Raul declared hookahs more harmful than cigarettes and turned up the heat on the city's hookah bars. Ramadoss had warned that appropriate action would be taken against hookah bars operating in the guise of coffee houses and eateries. With more cities likely to join the anti-hookah campaign, Dilli, most likely, would be the next city to be hitu00a0unless the post elections Ramadoss' social reform message gets voted out and the Games visitors needs dominate.

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