Cutting across party lines, Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan and Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar are among the 52 parliamentarians who have joined hands to end the stigma and discrimination attached to leprosy.
Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi, who is the convener of the MPs' forum to free India of leprosy, said their aim was to highlight the stigma around it and end the discrimination.
"We are not experts in the subject, but our job is to highlight the stigma around leprosy and end the discrimination which patients of these disease face," he said.
Speaking to reporters here, Trivedi said with the help of Jaya they were trying to rope in her husband and Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan to take part in an advertisement highlighting the plight of leprosy patients.
"One of the things we are planning is advertisement to spread awareness and stop the discrimination. We have told Jaya, why don't you get your husband involved in this?" said Trivedi, former Railway Minister.
Formed earlier this year, the panel of 52 MPs from both Houses cut across party lines and is headed by Union Minister of State for Commerce Dr Daggubati Purandeswari.
Trivedi said they would not only participate in seminars, discussions and visit colonies of leprosy patients, but would also explore on the need for new laws to protect their fundamental rights as guaranteed in our constitution.
Saying that Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar is emotionally attached to the cause of leprosy affected people, Trivedi said she would also visit leprosy colonies in West Bengal soon.
The forum was initiated by international activist Yohei Sasakawa, WHO's Goodwill Ambassador for Elimination of Leprosy. He also runs the Nippon Foundation and the Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation.
India accounts for more than half of leprosy cases reported worldwide. A total of 1.27 lakh new cases were reported in 2011-12. States like Bihar, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Maharashtra and the union territory of Dadar and Nagar Haveli are among the worst affected.
"Our dream is to see India free of leprosy and to end the plight of those who were once affected by the disease. We want them to live with dignity and enjoy equal rights as human beings," Sasakawa said.
Trivedi along with state agriculture minister Malay Ghatak on Monday had visited more than 150 families living in leprosy colonies of Asansol town's Burnpur area.
"We need to work on a war-footing and involve all sections of society to tackle it," Trivedi said.
Trivedi regretted that so far no government has come up to take the case of leprosy-affected patients and said they should be given preference in jobs.
