Condom row climaxes with letter to PM

June 21, 2007

22 Jun, 2007 l 0122 hrs IST

Suchandana Gupta/TIMES NEWS NETWORK

BHOPAL: The vibrating condom controversy is headed to the PMO with a

Madhya Pradesh cabinet minister writing to PM Manmohan Singh,

accusing the UPA government of promoting sex toys and sex for

pleasure.

BJP leader and state PWD and IT minister Kailash Vijayavargiya has

been fuming for a week over a ribbed condom that's fitted with a

vibrating ring. The package is marketed by government-owned Hindustan

Latex Ltd.

The minister's contention is that while condoms are fine as a birth

control measure, the add-on makes it a sex toy. Hindustan Latex says

all it's trying to do is to promote condom use, which is a stated

government mission in times of spreading AIDS.

The issue cut across party lines with the local Congress and even CPM

demanding MP government ban the condom. " It is bound to have a

harmful effect, especially on youngsters, " said state CPM secretary

Bahadur Singh Dhakad.

Hindustan Latex said it had no plans to withdraw its product but

would consider restricting sales in Madhya Pradesh if the government

there objected. " If any state bans the brand, we will withdraw it

from that state. We do not want to get into any controversy, "

marketing director K K Suresh Kumar told TOI.

The minister's angry letter to the PM said: " The vibrating ring sex-

toy has been launched by Hindustan Latex Ltd under your government's

ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Despite a ban on the sale of

sex toys in the country, this one is being sold in the open market.

Your intervention in the matter has become necessary since all

concerned departments under the UPA government have failed in their

jobs. "

The three-page letter said though Crezendo has been promoted as a

vibrating ring condom, the vibrating ring which is the ` sex toy' is

being supplied separately along with the condoms

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