A puff of politics: TMC MP says smoking outside Parliament House allowed; BJP MP Anurag Thakur files complaint

NEW DELHI: A political row deepened on Friday over allegations that a Trinamool Congress MP used an e-cigarette inside the Lok Sabha, after BJP MP Anurag Thakur formally submitted a written complaint to Speaker Om Birla detailing what he described as a “grave violation” of parliamentary rules and statutory law.

The controversy first erupted during Question Hour, when Thakur informed the Chair that a TMC member had been “smoking e-cigarettes for several days”. Birla responded that “no such permission has been granted” and assured MPs that action would follow if any violation was confirmed. The exchange briefly disrupted proceedings, with the Speaker later urging all members to maintain decorum and asking Thakur to file a written complaint so the matter could be examined.

In his letter dated December 12, Thakur told the Speaker that a TMC MP “was seen openly using an electronic cigarette while seated in the House during the sittings,” adding that the act was “clearly visible to several Members present.” He wrote that the incident “took place in the Lok Sabha chamber on 11th December 2025” and said he had brought it to the Chair’s attention immediately.

Thakur further reminded the Speaker that electronic cigarettes are banned nationwide under the **Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019**, which outlaws the “manufacture, production, import, export, transport, sale (including online sale), distribution, storage, and advertisement” of such devices. The letter notes that possession and use of e-cigarettes in public places, including Parliament House, is a punishable offence, and that even prior to 2019 all forms of smoking devices were prohibited under COTPA 2003 and subsequent Lok Sabha Secretariat instructions.

The BJP leader also pointed to multiple circulars that “clearly prohibited the carrying and use of e-cigarettes/vaping devices inside the Parliament complex”.

Outside Parliament, tensions rose further as Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat confronted TMC veteran Saugata Roy near the Makar Dwar entrance, questioning whether he was defending the alleged conduct. Shekhawat told him, “You are endangering public health, dada.” Giriraj Singh, speaking to reporters later, insisted the 2019 ban applied “equally inside and outside Parliament,” adding: “If an MP smokes an e-cigarette inside the House, it hurts the dignity of the House… It is very unfortunate… This shows how much they (TMC) respect the House.”

Roy sharply rejected suggestions that any wrongdoing had taken place, insisting that the BJP was manufacturing a controversy. “There is no allegation. Smoking cigarettes inside the House is prohibited, but there is no objection to smoking cigarettes in the open space outside the House,” he said on Friday. He added that e-cigarettes, too, “could be used in an open area,” stressing: “We cannot smoke inside the building, but can outside.”

He distanced himself from the incident entirely. “I cannot say anything about that, because I was not in the House and I dont know who smoked and complained… It is for the Speaker to inquire and take action if it amounts to a violation of the rules… Why is it being made a political issue?”

Roy further accused the BJP of misplaced priorities, remarking: “Pollution in Delhi is at its highest during the BJP government. They should focus on this instead of making such allegations...”

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