Protest Dow's sponsorship of London Olympics, MP CM urges Central Govt

Note:India should boycott London Olympics if it does not disassociate itself from Dow Chemical Company, the owner of Union Carbide Corporation. If political parties are sincerly with victims of Bhopal, they should all make Dow's removal for India's participation a pre-condition.

Gopal Krishna
ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA)

Protest Dow's sponsorship of London Olympics, Chouhan urges Maken

Bhopal, Nov 23 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Wednesday urged the central government to lodge a strong protest against Dow Chemical Company's sponsorship of the 2012 London Olympics and even boycott the event in case the sponsorship continues.

In a letter to union Sports Minister Ajay Maken, Chouhan reminded him of Dow Chemical's link with the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, when 3,000 people were killed instantly and 25,000 over the years when tonnes of methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal (now owned by Dow Chemical) on the night of Dec 2, 1984.

He noted that the liabilities related to the disaster had not been fully settled and are subject of litigation to which the Indian government is a party.

The chief minister, in his letter, said that it would not be at all appropriate that a company responsible for a tragedy of this proportion should be allowed to sponsor an event like the Olympics, which are expected to be an ultimate expression of fair play and honest, healthy endeavour.

He said that the funds intended for sponsoring the Olympics would be far better spent in alleviating to some extent the misery suffered by the people of Bhopal.