Nurturing a hobby can be a good thing. But hobbies can also be portentous, especially when they are forced upon those who do not share similar interests. The Bharatiya Janata Party's favourite pastime, that of fusing religion with every conceivable thing, is a case in point. Himanta Biswa Sarma, the health minister of Assam, has now sermonized that cancer - the disease is estimated to strike one million Indians annually - is a form of "divine justice" befalling 'sinners'. Mr Sarma's 'research' into the background of some patients has apparently made him realize that the disease is a 'punishment from god'. Such wisdom befits the BJP perfectly. After all, one of its leaders said in Parliament that he believed science was a "pygmy compared to astrology". Public outrage has forced Mr Sarma to apologize for the comment. Predictably, he has defended himself by saying that his argument was misrepresented. Citing how his own father died of cancer, he said that sometimes it is the parents' sins that determine an individual's life chances. But perhaps there is more to this than meets the eye. The BJP seemingly thrives on the distortion of reality, thereby blurring the lines between fact and fiction. Such a strategy is particularly suited for ideologically indoctrinating a people used to the diversity of choices on matters of faith. Irrationality - yoking the causes of a lethal affliction to past lives and the doctrine of karma is one example - serves political dispensations well. The propagation of a false consciousness deflects public attention from problems that require urgent intervention.

The areas where the government ought to step in to mitigate India's cancer burden are obvious. Lack of awareness means that only 12.5 per cent of the people suffering from cancer seek treatment early. This figure does not take into account the segments of the population - impoverished and residing in remote areas - that remain unenumerated. Mr Sarma believes that patients should suffer the divine justice because nothing much can be done. Perhaps that is because India is yet to fight cancer effectively. Prohibitive costs and uneven medical infrastructure contribute to the high mortality rate. The northeastern states have one of the highest incidence of cancer. It would serve Assam's ruling BJP well if the people blame the deeds of parents, instead of an apathetic government, for their misery.