New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anurag Thakur on Thursday (December 11) accused a Trinamool Congress MP of smoking an e-cigarette inside the Lok Sabha. Thakur made the allegation while speaking in the Lower House.
"Desh bhar mein e-cigarette ban ho chuki hai, kya aapne allow kar di hai? (E-cigarettes have been banned in the country, have you allowed this?)" Thakur asked Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. To which Birla replied that no such permission was granted by him. However, Thakur did not name the TMC MP
"Sir, TMC ke sansad kayeen dino se lagatar baith ke pee rahe hain, sir (Sir, the TMC MP is smoking continuously for days)," Thakur further alleged.
He also urged the Lok Sabha Speaker to take action against the MP for the violation of the rules. Birla assured appropriate action against the TMC MP if found guilty of violating rules.
In 2019, the Union government imposed a ban on e-cigarettes in India. However, despite the ban, the sale of these cigarettes continues to increase. In 2023, the Union Health Ministry launched an online portal to report these violations under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA).
E-Cigarettes Worth Rs 25 Lakh Recovered From Mumbai:
In August this year, the Crime Branch Unit-6 of the Mumbai Police seized banned electronic cigarettes worth approximately Rs 25.50 lakh from a warehouse located in Kurla West. In connection with the case, the police arrested an individual and registered an FIR.
According to the police, Senior Inspector Bharat Ghone of Crime Branch Unit-6 received a tip-off that a large quantity of e-cigarettes—banned by the government—was being illegally stored in a warehouse at Makadwala Compound in Kurla West. Acting on the information, a team from Unit-6 conducted a raid and arrested Ubed Mohammed Salim Shaikh, 31, at the site.
