Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament (MP) Anurag Thakur has lodged a complaint with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla regarding the violation of parliamentary rules and statutory laws by using an electronic cigarette in the Lok Sabha.
Lok Sabha proceedings were briefly interrupted during Question Hour on Thursday after Thakur accused a Trinamool Congress (TMC) member of Parliament of smoking an electronic cigarette in the House for several days.
Thakur said e-cigarettes were banned in the country and asked if they were allowed in the House. A spokesman said no such permission had been granted.
Amid the uproar, Anurag Thakur sought an inquiry into the matter, saying it was a serious issue. Birla asked all MPs to maintain the decorum of the House. “If I get any such information, I will definitely take action,” he said, urging the MP to file a complaint in writing.
“A member of parliament from the All India Trinamool Congress was seen openly using an electronic cigarette while sitting in the House during a session… The open use of a banned substance and a banned device inside the sanctum sanctorum of Indian democracy, the Lok Sabha chamber, is not only a flagrant breach of parliamentary decorum and discipline, but also a cognizable offense,” he said in this complaint enacted by the House on Friday.
Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat spoke outside the House on Thursday with Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, who said e-cigarettes could be smoked in the open in front of the building. “We can’t smoke inside the building, but we can smoke outside,” he said.
“You are endangering public health, dado,” Shekhawat replied.
“BJP MP Anurag Thakur raised this issue. E-cigarettes were banned in 2019 and if an MP smokes an e-cigarette inside the House, it damages the dignity of the House… It is very unfortunate… It shows how much they (TMC) respect the House,” Giriraj Singh told reporters.
Smoking should not be politicized: Roy
Saugata Roy told reporters that the issue of smoking should not be politicized.
“I can’t say anything about it because I wasn’t in the House and I don’t know who smoked and complained… It’s up to the Speaker to ask and take action when it comes to violations… Why is this being made a political issue?” he asked.
An e-cigarette (electronic cigarette) is a battery-powered device that heats a liquid – usually called e-liquid or vape juice – to create an aerosol that the user inhales.
The open use of a prohibited substance… constitutes not only a flagrant breach of parliamentary decorum and discipline, but also a cognizable offence.
E-cigarettes were banned in India a few years ago. The winter session of parliament started on December 1st and will continue until December 19th.
In 2023, the Union government wrote to the states to ensure effective enforcement and pointed out cases where e-cigarettes are sold in grocery or stationery shops near educational institutions.
