The Winter Session of Parliament saw fresh controversy on Thursday after BJP MP Anurag Thakur accused a Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP of smoking an e-cigarette inside the Lok Sabha. Raising the matter during proceedings, Thakur said the act violated India’s nationwide ban on electronic cigarettes and urged Speaker Om Birla to take action.
Without naming the MP, Thakur told the House that e-cigarettes are prohibited under the Electronic Cigarettes (Prohibition) Act, 2019, which criminalises their sale, use and production. Responding, Speaker Birla said no MP is permitted to smoke inside Parliament and assured that appropriate action would follow if the allegation is substantiated.
The issue surfaced a day after heated exchanges between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over allegations of voter fraud and the Special Intensive Review of electoral rolls. Shah accused the Congress of repeatedly blaming institutions for electoral defeats, while Gandhi challenged him to a debate on his claims of “vote chori”.
The alleged e-cigarette incident has added to the charged political atmosphere in the ongoing Winter Session.
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