ignited a major row<\/a> with his smoking on Parliament premises.<\/p>\nThe incident, which first led to mild reprimand from other MPs who were witness to it, blew up into a controversy as the video was widely shared on social media on Thursday. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anurag Thakur filed an official complaint with Speaker Om Birla. The move triggered a bizarre reaction from TMC MP Kirti Azad, who alleged that \u201chundreds of Parliamentarians smoke on premises”.<\/p>\n
Roy\u2019s clip goes viral<\/h2>\n
The clip, which went viral on social media, showed Roy smoking on Parliament premises. Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who were seen standing nearby, even voiced concern about public health and the dignity of the House.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are endangering public health, dada,” Shekhawat is heard saying.<\/p>\n
Why is it an issue?<\/h2>\n
India has banned electronic cigarettes under the Electronic Cigarettes (Prohibition) Act, 2019, making their manufacture, sale, import, export and advertising illegal, with jail terms and fines for violations.<\/p>\n
Thakur first raises the issue on Thursday, files a complaint on Friday<\/h2>\n
Proceedings of the Lok Sabha were briefly disrupted during Question Hour on Thursday as Anurag Thakur accused \u201ca Trinamool Congress MP” of smoking e-cigarette in the Lok Sabha for several days, insisting that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla take note of a violation of the nationwide vaping ban. He did not name Roy.<\/p>\n
Thakur said a Trinamool MP had \u201cbeen smoking e-cigarettes for days” and asked if the Chair had ever allowed such conduct. \u201cThis is for the House to know that e-cigarettes are banned in the country. I want to ask the Lok Sabha Speaker whether he has allowed smoking e-cigarettes in the House. A TMC MP has been smoking e-cigarettes for days inside the Lok Sabha,” Thakur told the Chair.<\/p>\n
Speaker Om Birla replied that no rules or precedents permit smoking of any kind inside the House, adding that he would act if concrete evidence were presented. \u201cIf such an incident is brought to my notice with clarity, appropriate action will follow,” Birla said.<\/p>\n
As the controversy flared up, Thakur on Friday submitted an official complaint with the Speaker and sought disciplinary action against those at fault.<\/p>\n
\u2018E-cigarette used during House sittings\u2019: What Thakur said in his written complaint<\/h2>\n
Thakur\u2019s complaint said: \u201cI 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 11th December 2025. 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 act was clearly visible to several Members present and was duly brought to your notice by me during question hour.”<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cThe manufacture, production, import, export, transport, sale (including online sale), distribution, storage, and advertisement of electronic cigarettes was completely prohibited throughout India in 2019 through the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act, 2019.”<\/p>\n
\u201cPossession and use of e-cigarettes in public places, including government buildings and Parliament House, is a punishable offence under the said 2019 Act. Even prior to the 2019 Act, the use of any form of smoking device, including electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), inside Parliament House has been strictly prohibited since 2008 under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA) and the rules framed thereunder, as well as the specific instructions issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat,” said Thakur.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Lok Sabha Secretariat, in its circulars and guidelines issued from time to time (including those reiterating the ban after the 2019 Act), has clearly prohibited the carrying and use of e-cigarettes\/vaping devices inside the Parliament complex. 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,” said the complaint.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch conduct lowers the dignity of the House, sets an extremely poor precedent, and sends a dangerous message to the youth of the country at a time when the Government and Parliament have taken a firm stand against all forms of tobacco and nicotine products,” he said.<\/p>\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/ibnlive\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-12-12-at-11.57.30-AM-2025-12-968784967aaa02e23d48d061889f27fc.jpeg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Thakur\u2019s complaint seeks\u2026<\/h2>\n
Immediate cognizance of this serious breach of rules and law<\/p>\n
An inquiry into the incident through the appropriate committee or mechanism of the House<\/p>\n
Appropriate disciplinary proceedings against the Member concerned as per the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha<\/p>\n
Exemplary action taken and placed on record so that the sanctity and dignity of the House is upheld.<\/p>\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/ibnlive\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-12-12-at-11.57.33-AM-2025-12-90a3b914aeeebffceb059483d15e08ea.jpeg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
How other MPs, leaders reacted<\/h2>\n
\u201cBJP 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\u2026It is very unfortunate\u2026This shows how much they (TMC) respect the House,” Giriraj Singh told reporters.<\/p>\n
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said, \u201cAs an MP, he (Saugata Roy) should know that smoking in public is a punishable offence\u2026As a responsible Member of Parliament, he should also reflect on what kind of message he is sending to the people of this country through such conduct and behaviour. He must consider whether his actions are adding to Delhi\u2019s pollution or helping reduce it.”<\/p>\n
BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also demanded that the TMC take action against the member involved. \u201cThere has been a complete ban on e-cigarettes across the country since 2019. The use of any such items is completely banned in the Parliament premises. But a TMC MP violated all these laws today,” he said, adding, \u201cThe question is, will the TMC take action against its MP or wait for the Speaker to do so? They say they are defenders of parliamentary democracy. What action will the TMC take against the erring MP who lowered the dignity of the Parliament and the Constitution?”<\/p>\n
\n