TMC’s Saugata Roy Seen Smoking Cigarette On Parliament Premises. Then, An Exchange With Giriraj Singh | India News

Last Updated:December 12, 2025, 11:52 IST

Saugata Roy was seen smoking a cigarette outside Parliament after BJP MP Anurag Thakur’s accusation of a TMC MP using e-cigarettes inside the Lok Sabha.

TMC MP Saugata Roy seen with cigarette on Parliament premises (Video screengrabs)

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy was seen smoking a cigarette outside Parliament on Thursday, sparking a discussion with Union Ministers Giriraj Singh and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, amid heightened scrutiny over the use of e-cigarettes in the Lok Sabha.

Roy, a senior TMC member, was heard saying during the conversation, “We cannot smoke inside the building, but can outside.”

The remark came as Singh and Shekhawat expressed concern about public health and the dignity of the House.

Responding, Shekhawat said, “You are endangering public health, dada.”

Singh added, “BJP MP Anurag Thakur raised this issue. E-cigarettes were prohibited in 2019, and if an MP smokes an e-cigarette inside the House, it hurts the dignity of the House. It is very unfortunate. This shows how much they (TMC) respect the House.”

Roy, meanwhile, sought to downplay the political angle.

“I cannot say anything about that, because I was not in the House and I don’t know who smoked and complained. It is for the Speaker to inquire and take action if it amounts to a violation of the rules. Why is it being made a political issue?” he asked.

Later, Roy, while speaking to reporters, could be heard saying, “We can smoke e-cigarette (within the premises of the House). We cannot smoke inside the building, but can outside.”

Amid the controversy, TMC MP Kirti Azad, while talking to CNN-News18, asserted that he can name “hundreds of Parliamentarians who smoke on the premises”.

Without taking any names, Azad also alleged that one of the BJP MPs takes nearly 40 per cent commission on the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme.

“What if I say that a BJP MP takes 30 to 40 per cent of commission on MPLADS,” he asserted.

“Unless I prove it, it is not there, and I have to first go through the rules and procedures of the House, where you have to first inform the Speaker before you make any allegations,” Azad said.

The incident outside Parliament comes in the wake of BJP MP Anurag Thakur accusing an unnamed TMC MP of smoking an e-cigarette inside the Lok Sabha.

During Question Hour, Thakur asked whether e-cigarettes were allowed in the House, noting that the TMC member had been “constantly smoking e-cigarettes in the House for the past several days.”

Speaker Om Birla responded firmly that no rules allow smoking inside the House and urged members to maintain the dignity of Parliament.

He added that if a written complaint is lodged, appropriate action would follow.

BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also demanded that the TMC take action against the member involved.

“There has been a complete ban on e-cigarettes across the country since 2019. The use of any such items is completely banned in the Parliament premises. But a TMC MP violated all these laws today,” he said.

Poonawalla further questioned the TMC’s response, asking, “The question is, will the TMC take action against its MP or wait for the Speaker to do so?”

“They say they are defenders of parliamentary democracy. What action will the TMC take against the erring MP who lowered the dignity of the Parliament and the Constitution?” Poonawalla asked.

E-cigarettes have been banned under the Electronic Cigarettes (Prohibition) Act, 2019, which prohibits their production, sale, import, export, and advertising, with penalties including jail terms and fines.

ALSO READ | The Parliament Plot Twist: 48 Hours, Two Gandhis, And A Tale Of Two Battles

Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google.

Read More