Vaping Row In Lok Sabha: Anurag Thakur Writes To Speaker, Says Incident 'Lowers Dignity Of The House'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) 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 E-cigarette inside the Chamber of Lok Sabha

Proceedings of the Lok Sabha were briefly disrupted during Question Hour on Thursday after Thakur accused a Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament (TMC) of smoking an e-cigarette in the House for several days.

Also Read | Anurag Thakur accuses TMC MP of using e-cigarette in Lok Sabha

Thakur said E-Cigarettes have been banned in the country and asked if they have been allowed in the House. The Speaker said that no such permission has been granted.

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Thakur said E-Cigarettes have been banned in the country and asked if they have been allowed in the House. The Speaker said that no such permission has been granted.

Amid uproar, Anurag Thakur sought probe in the matter, saying it is a serious issue. Birla requested all MPs to maintain the decorum of the House. "If I get any such information, I will certainly take action," he said and urged the member to give a complaint in writing.

“A Member of Parliament belonging to the All India Trinamool Congress was seen openly using an electronic cigarette while seated in the House during the sittings... The open use of a banned substance and a prohibited device inside the sanctum sanctorum of Indian democracy, the Lok Sabha chamber, constitutes not only a blatant violation of parliamentary decorum and discipline but also a cognizable offence under the laws enacted by this very House,” Thakur said in the complaint on Friday.

Outside the House on Thursday, Union Ministers Giriraj Singh and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat were seen having a conversation with Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, who said one can smoke e-cigarette in an open space outside a building. "We cannot smoke inside the building, but can outside," he said.

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"You are endangering public health, dada," Shekhawat responded.

"BJP MP Anurag Thakur raised this issue. E-cigarettes were prohibited in 2019, and 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," Giriraj Singh told reporters.

Smoking should not be politicised: Roy

Saugata Roy told reporters that the issue of smoking should not be politicised.

"I cannot say anything about that, because I was not in the House and I don't 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?" 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 banned substance... constitutes not only a blatant violation 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 began on 1 December and will continue until 19 December.

In 2023, the Union government wrote to states to ensure effective compliance, highlighting instances of e-cigarettes being sold at grocery or stationery stores near educational institutions.

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