Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy was spotted smoking in the Parliament premises on Thursday, after which union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Giriraj Singh confronted him.
To which, the MP responded, “We cannot smoke inside the building, but can outside."
The remark came after Singh and Shekhawat voiced concerns over public health and the dignity of the House. “You are endangering public health, dada," said Shekhawat.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Thursday complained in the 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.
Reacting to the e-cigarette controversy, Saugata Roy said, "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?..."
Meanwhile, TMC MP Kirti Azad, while speaking with CNN-News18, asserted that he can name “hundreds of Parliamentarians who smoke on the premises".
Anurag Thakur files official complaint over e-cigarette usage in Parliament
BJP MP Anurag Thakur, who accused an unnamed TMC MP of smoking an e-cigarette in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, submitted an official complaint with the Speaker today and sough action.
“I want to bring to your urgent notice a grave violation of the rules of the House as well as the laws that took place in the Lok Sabha chamber on Thursday,” Thakur said in the letter to the Speaker.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also demanded that TMC take action against the MP who "lowered the dignity" of the House and Constitution.
"There is a complete ban on e-cigarettes across the country since 2019. The use of any such items is completely banned in the Parliament premises. So, getting an e-cigarette in Parliament is against the law. But a TMC MP violated all these laws today. BJP MP Anurag Thakur informed the Speaker about this incident, and the Speaker has assured him of an investigation into this matter," Shehzad Poonawalla said in a press conference.
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