According to a press note issued by Dr Shantilal Kothari, president, ANI, the decision would be very harsh on the poor and middle-class people who are its main consumers. The government should have conducted a proper probe into the matter before rushing to any decision to ban the open sale, he feels.

Kothari argues that there is nothing wrong with mustard oil. It is a very healthy oil and has been consumed for ages by the people in north India. Mustard can be grown in areas where there is even scanty rain.

He expressed concern at the wrong act committed by some unscrupulous elements by adulteration of oil which triggered off the dropsy disease leading to many deaths in Delhi and in other parts of the country. It is the duty of the government to punish the guilty and not to ban mustard oil, he says.

It is surprising indeed that the governmenthas not taken upon itself the responsibility of fully checking the food products before it reaches the gullible people. Punitive action should be taken against those found guilty, he said. ``The real culprits have gone scot free and no real effort has been made to nab them. Instead every state is resorting to ban the open sale of mustard oil that crores of people in the country consume daily,'' he said.

Kothari -- who has sent letters to the Prime Minister, the President and the Union Health Minister -- has asked the government to review the decision of ban on open sale of oil in many states.

Kothari charged a deep-rooted international conspiracy against the mustard oil with a view to damage its market by destroying its reputation. Once fear is created in the minds of the general people about its harmful effects, they would be reluctant to buy it. The people then would naturally be compelled to buy other brands of oil. This would be a time when American companies would be able to sell their soyabean oil,he said.

A similar campaign against kesari dal had led to a ban on its sale in Maharashtra. That ban has still not been lifted despite the fact that in later years it was proved beyond doubt that the dal was totally harmless. The government must make a thorough probe to find out the culprits in the adulteration, he suggests.