New Delhi: When Parliament is in session, lawmakers from across parties are usually seen bickering over issues, but a cause has now united them - need for a smoking room.
MPs, who liked their afternoon cigarettes in Parliament, were infuriated on discovering that the room 20B, used as their smoking 'adda', had been reallotted.
The Parliament House premises is a non-smoking zone, hence a small room next to the central hall was alloted for the MPs who wanted to have a quiet puff.
For this 'common cause', lawmakers across party lines decided to shed their differences, though temporarily, and petitioned Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for the smoking room.
On Tuesday, when the Monsoon Session began, the agitated parliamentarians signed a petition asking the Speaker for an alternative spot.
It seems that their protest was taken up by the Speaker who later that evening inspected the room and reportedly asked officers to provide the MPs with an alternative place.
Till their grievance is redressed the lawmakers might be choosing the Parliament lawns for a quiet smoking break.
