BJP shares video of TMC MP Kirti Azad ‘vaping’ in Parliament, demands action for use of banned substance

Days after BJP MP Anurag Thakur filed a complaint with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla alleging that an opposition leader from the Trinamool Congress was smoking an e-cigarette in the House, the ruling party has shared a video showing MP Kirti Azad ‘vaping’ during the proceedings, even though e-cigarettes are banned in India. The video was shared by BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya, who identified Kirti Azad as the TMC MP smoking an e-cigarette in Parliament. Anurag Thakur had named the party in his complaint but not the leader. Malviya called Kirti Azad’s purported act of smoking an e-cigarette “unacceptable” and said “rules and laws clearly hold no meaning for people like him”. He also urged West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee to issue a clarification on Azad’s ‘misconduct’. E-cigarettes were banned in India in 2019.

“The TMC 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. Just imagine the audacity, hiding an e-cigarette in his palm while in the House! Mamata Banerjee must clarify her MP’s misconduct,” Malviya said in a post on X.

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The video shows Azad seated inside the Lok Sabha and bringing his cupped right hand to his mouth and holding it there. The video clip, however, does not capture the e-cigarette.

BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari also criticised Azad and called his act a ‘crime’ and an ‘insult of Temple of Democracy’.

“TMC MP KIRTI AZAD VIDEO VAPING INSIDE PARLIAMENT. This is a crime! This is an insult of Temple of Democracy! Mamata Banerjee should respond- What example are her MPs setting in front of people of India?”

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‘Blatant violation of parliamentary decorum and discipline, also a cognisable offence’

In his written complaint, Thakur had said, “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.”

He said 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 cognisable offence under the laws enacted by the House. Such 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 added.

“Therefore, I earnestly request you to take immediate cognisance of this serious breach of rules and law; direct an inquiry into the incident through the appropriate committee or mechanism of the House,” Thakur said in his written complaint.

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Thakur urged Birla to initiate “appropriate disciplinary proceedings against the member concerned” as per the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.

“Ensure that exemplary action is taken and is placed on record so that the sanctity and dignity of the House is upheld,” he said.

Azad had responded to Thakur’s complaint and said he wasted the Lok Sabha’s time by raising the issue in the House.

“If you lodge any complaint against any MP or party levelling an allegation, it has to be proved. There are rules and regulations in Lok Sabha. He (Thakur) has served as a Union minister. Such a person, who doesn’t know rules and regulations, is levelling an allegation. It has to be proved,” Azad had said.

Govt banned e-cigarettes in Sept. 2019

India had imposed a nationwide ban on e-cigarettes in September 2019. The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act made the production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, and advertising of e-cigarettes illegal. Possession and use were also discouraged, although personal consumption was not criminalised in the same way as trade and distribution. The government said the ban was a preventive measure to protect public health.

Authorities have conducted several enforcement drives to seize devices and stop online sales.

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The government imposed the ban after concerns grew over the rapid rise in the use of e-cigarettes among teenagers and young adults. Health authorities argued that these devices could create a new generation of nicotine-dependent users and undermine efforts to reduce tobacco consumption.

Reports also highlighted the presence of harmful chemicals in the vapour produced by e-cigarettes.