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Uttar Pradesh Lawmakers Can't Let Go Of This Dirty Habit

Even if their chief minister says so.
File photo of Uttar Pradesh Assembly on July 11, 2017 in Lucknow, India.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
File photo of Uttar Pradesh Assembly on July 11, 2017 in Lucknow, India.

Four months after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath banned paan masala and gutkha in state government offices, his lawmakers appear to be in no hurry to follow orders. The state police's anti-terrorism squad has found empty paan masala and gutkha packets stuffed under cushions in the state assembly hall, reported The Telegraph. Worse, they found red spit stains under the lawmakers' chairs, an unnamed source told the newspaper.

"We were looking for more explosive substances but came across these obnoxious things," one of the police officers told the newspaper. The anti-terrorism squad has been looking for suspicious objects at the legislative assembly after a powerful plastic explosive powder was found there last week.

The 44-year-old chief minister had reportedly been furious on finding paan spit stains at the old CM office when he came to power earlier in March this year, and had ordered a complete ban on these products in government buildings. Yet, it appears that his lawmakers--a majority of them from his own party, the BJP--have been quietly flouting these rules right under his nose.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.