“Vaping in Parliament Is Unacceptable”: BJP Flags Trinamool MP
Smoking row escalates after video surfaces, Speaker drawn into privilege issue
- BJP shares video alleging Trinamool MP Kirti Azad vaping inside Lok Sabha
- Amit Malviya seeks clarification from Mamata Banerjee over MP’s conduct
- Lok Sabha Speaker assures action to uphold parliamentary dignity
- Row seen as political flashpoint ahead of Bengal Assembly polls
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 17th Dec: The controversy over alleged smoking inside Parliament intensified on Wednesday after BJP leader Amit Malviya shared a short video clip, claiming it showed Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad vaping inside the Lok Sabha.
The 35-second video posted on X shows Azad seated in the House, briefly raising his cupped right hand to his mouth in a gesture resembling smoking. No cigarette, e-cigarette or visible smoke is seen in the clip. Despite this, Malviya alleged that the former India cricketer was using an e-cigarette inside Parliament.
“The Trinamool MP accused by BJP MP Anurag Thakur of vaping inside Parliament is none other than Kirti Azad. For people like him, rules and laws clearly hold no meaning,” Malviya said. He further claimed that hiding an e-cigarette in the palm while inside the House reflected “audacity” and demanded that Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee clarify her MP’s conduct.
The row traces back to last week when BJP MP and former Union minister Anurag Thakur raised the issue in the Lok Sabha, alleging that Trinamool MPs had been vaping inside the House. “E-cigarettes are banned across the country, yet they are being used in the House,” Thakur had said while flagging the matter to Speaker Om Birla.
Responding to the allegations, Speaker Birla urged members to maintain parliamentary decorum and said action would be taken if violations were established. “We must adhere to parliamentary traditions and rules. If such matters come to my attention, I will act,” he said.
Political observers note that by formally involving the Speaker, the BJP has framed the issue as a breach of parliamentary privilege rather than a mere social lapse, giving it greater political weight. The focus on e-cigarettes is also notable, as their production, sale and use are banned in India under a 2019 law.
The controversy has since widened to include conventional cigarettes as well. Last week, Trinamool MP Saugata Roy was confronted within Parliament premises by BJP leaders Giriraj Singh and Gajendra Shekhawat while smoking. Roy later argued that he was not smoking inside the House, which is prohibited under parliamentary rules, and countered the criticism by pointing to Delhi’s worsening air pollution.
Observers see the repeated clashes as part of a broader BJP–Trinamool proxy battle ahead of next year’s West Bengal Assembly elections. Disputes over smoking inside Parliament are not new; similar tensions were witnessed in 2015 after smoking was banned inside the House and the designated smoking room was repurposed.
As the political sparring continues, the Speaker’s office is expected to examine the allegations to determine whether any breach of parliamentary rules has occurred.
