New Delhi, Dec 12 (NationPress) Former Union Minister and prominent BJP MP Anurag Singh Thakur formally addressed a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday, lodging a serious allegation against an MP from the All India Trinamool Congress for purportedly using an electronic cigarette within the Lok Sabha chamber, which he categorized as a significant violation of Parliamentary regulations and legal standards.

He indicated that the AITMC member was observed using an electronic cigarette while present in the House, a fact that was clearly noticeable to multiple attendees. He mentioned that he had promptly alerted the Chair about this incident during Question Hour on Thursday.

“I wish to urgently bring to your attention a serious infringement of the House's rules as well as legal statutes that occurred in the Lok Sabha chamber on Thursday,” Thakur stated in his correspondence to the Speaker.

The BJP MP reminded the Speaker that the manufacture, distribution, import, export, transport, sale—including online sales—and advertisement of electronic cigarettes have been entirely banned across India as per the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage, and Advertisement) Act, 2019.

“Moreover, possessing and using e-cigarettes in public locations, including government facilities and the Parliament House, constitutes a punishable offense under the 2019 Act,” Thakur emphasized.

He further noted that even prior to the implementation of the 2019 Act, the use of any smoking apparatus, including electronic nicotine delivery systems, had been prohibited inside the Parliament House since 2008 as per the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.

“The Lok Sabha Secretariat has consistently prohibited the carrying and use of e-cigarettes or vaping devices within the Parliament complex, as reiterated in various circulars and guidelines, including after the passage of the 2019 Act,” he stated in his letter.

Thakur asserted that the open usage of a restricted substance and a banned device within the Lok Sabha chamber, the heart of India’s parliamentary framework, not only violates decorum and discipline but also constitutes a cognizable offense under laws established by Parliament.

“Such behavior diminishes the House's dignity, sets a negative example, and sends a harmful message to the youth of our nation at a time when the government and Parliament have taken a firm stance against all forms of tobacco and nicotine products,” he remarked.

He urged the Speaker to promptly acknowledge this incident, initiate an inquiry through the appropriate committee or mechanism of the House, and “commence suitable disciplinary actions against the member involved according to the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.”

On Thursday, Thakur accused an unnamed TMC member of using an e-cigarette in the Lok Sabha, prompting the Speaker to commit to taking appropriate steps.

During Question Hour, while asking a supplementary question, he inquired whether e-cigarettes were allowed in the House.

When Birla responded negatively, the BJP MP from Himachal Pradesh stated that a TMC leader had been “repeatedly using an e-cigarette in the House for several days.”

In the midst of the uproar, Birla urged members to maintain the House's dignity and indicated he would take action if a written complaint was presented.