Delhi Confidential: Past & Present

During the debate on the no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla, Congress MP Manish Tewari was interrupted by the Chair, Dilip Saikia, when he said during the UPA regime no member was suspended for disrupting the House. Saikia said the decision to suspend the members is not taken by the Speaker, but the House. To this, Tewari said the Chair was only reinforcing the point he was making. Arguing that the motion to suspend MPs is moved by the government, he said during the UPA government, the Treasury did not move such motions over disruptions. Saikia then said that each such motion has to be passed by the House.

Mixed Message

Confusion prevailed over the Cabinet’s decision on Tuesday to ease Press Note 3 investment curbs for land bordering countries including China. A ministry spokesperson denied the development, which was even recorded by foreign and Indian news agencies. Hours later, there was a confirmation of the announcement through an official release. India had earlier imposed restrictions on investments from China through Press Note 3 in April 2020, making government approval mandatory for investments from countries sharing a land border with India in order to prevent opportunistic takeovers during the Covid-19 pandemic.