BJP’s Thakur accuses TMC MP of smoking e-cigarette in Lok Sabha

The Winter Session of Parliament saw fresh controversy on Thursday after BJP MP Anurag Thakur accused a Trinamool Congress member of smoking an e-cigarette inside the Lok Sabha. Raising the matter during Question Hour, Thakur asked Speaker Om Birla whether e-cigarettes were permitted in the House. When the Speaker firmly replied that they were not, Thakur alleged that a TMC MP had been “constantly smoking e-cigarettes in the House for the past several days.”Several BJP members supported the allegation and demanded strict action. Speaker Birla assured the Treasury benches that the matter would be examined and necessary steps taken.
The uproar came a day after a heated exchange in the Lok Sabha over the controversy surrounding the Standardised India Resident (SIR) identification issue. Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a sharp attack on the opposition, accusing it of spreading misinformation for political gains. Shah said the opposition had taken up the SIR issue because “it can no longer win elections by corrupt practices.”He asserted that the Congress’ electoral setbacks were rooted in leadership failures, not EVMs or alleged “vote chori.” Shah further claimed that the opposition wanted “avaidh ghuspathiye” (illegal immigrants) retained in the voter rolls, adding that the government’s stance remained clear — detect illegal residents, remove them from voter lists and expel them from the country.Meanwhile, NCP MP Supriya Sule is set to move a motion in the Lok Sabha seeking an extension of time for the Joint Committee to present its report on the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 up to the first day of the last week of the Budget Session, 2026.