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The BJP called the purported act “unacceptable”, calling for West Bengal CM and TMC boss Mamata Banerjee to issue a clarification on party MP Kirti Azad’s “misconduct”
TMC MP Kirti Azad speaks in the Lok Sabha during the winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi on December 10, 2025. (Image: Sansad TV/PTI)
Only days after BJP MP Anurag Thakur wrote a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker alleging that an opposition leader from the Trinamool Congress was smoking an e-cigarette in the House, a video showing Kirti Azad “vaping” during the proceedings has surfaced.
The purported video was shared by BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya, who identified Kirti Azad as the TMC MP smoking an e-cigarette in Parliament. In his complaint, Anurag Thakur had named the party but not the leader.
Amit Malviya called Kirti Azad’s purported act of smoking an e-cigarette “unacceptable” and “for people like him, rules and laws clearly hold no meaning”. He called for West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC boss Mamata Banerjee to issue a clarification on Azad’s “misconduct”.
Watch the video here:
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!Smoking may not be illegal, but… pic.twitter.com/kZGnYcP0Iu— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 17, 2025
“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! Smoking may not be illegal, but using it in Parliament is entirely unacceptable. Mamata Banerjee must clarify on her MP’s misconduct,” Malviya said in a post on X, while sharing the video.
In another social media post, BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari called Azad’s act a “crime” and an “insult of Temple of Democracy”. He, too, urged Mamata Banerjee to respond.
“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?”
E-cigarettes were banned in India a few years ago.
Thakur had lodged his written complaint with Om Birla, demanding action against a TMC MP for allegedly smoking an e-cigarette inside the House, on December 12. The day before, he had raised the issue in the Lok Sabha without naming Azad.
“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,” Thakur said in his written complaint, adding that the act was “clearly visible” to several members present in the House.
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,” he said in his letter.
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.
He had written to Birla after the Speaker told him that he will take action only if he submits a complaint letter.
Azad had also 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.
(With agency inputs)
Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. December 17, 2025, 15:54 IST
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