Amid e-cigarette row, Congress MP alleges BJP leader was drunk during Rahul Gandhi’s speech

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Amid Anurag Thakur’s accusation that a TMC leader had been smoking e-cigarette inside the Parliament for several days, Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat said that a senior BJP leader had come to Lok Sabha “drunk”, which was evident from his actions during Rahul Gandhi’s speech during the debate on electoral reforms.

Without naming the leader, Bhagat said: “This senior BJP member's video during the proceedings can be checked for his repeated gestures, the way he was tottering, when Rahul Gandhi was giving the speech.”

“It is obvious, and I know for a fact, he was inebriated during proceedings. This is a serious matter, and BJP should ensure it doesn't happen again,” he was quoted as saying in a Times of India report.

The Jharkhand MP also pointed to the need to maintain decorum in the Lok Sabha. "It should not become a partisan issue with concerns about etiquette only being raised with regard to the opposition," he remarked.

He said that while he was grappling with how to react to the disturbing incident, Speaker Om Birla’s comments on Thursday about the “vaping” issue and his call for maintaining decorum in the House encouraged him to speak up.

BJP MP Anurag Thakur had complained in Lok Sabha that a TMC MP had been smoking e-cigarettes for several days and Speaker Om Birla promised action in the matter over any such occurrence.

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.

On Friday, Thakur submitted an official complaint to the Speaker and sought action.