Feb 3 News Live: 8 MPs suspended for ruckus in Lok Sabha

The Rajasthan Police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has issued "leave India" notices to two British nationals for allegedly pasting political stickers in public places in Pushkar, officials said on Monday (February 2).

The stickers contained messages such as “Free Palestine, Boycott Israel”.

The action came after reports received on January 21 about stickers related to the Israel-Palestine conflict appearing at multiple locations across the town. A CID team conducted an inquiry and traced the activity to the two foreign tourists.

Police said the two were in India on tourist visas. The CID found that their actions amounted to a violation of visa conditions, which prohibit engagement in political activities. Additional Superintendent of Police (CID) Rajesh Meena said that engaging in activities that show disrespect towards other countries while staying in India breaches visa norms. He said the notices were issued under provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, directing the two to leave the country.

Pushkar attracts a large number of foreign tourists every year, including many from Israel.

The officials said no formal complaints were received from tourists in connection with the stickers. After the CID's intervention, the stickers were removed from public places. Police also conducted checks in areas frequented by foreign tourists to ensure no similar material was displayed, they added.

Air India has started inspection of the fuel control switches in its Boeing 787 planes following the incident of a switch malfunctioning in an aircraft that operated a flight from London Heathrow to Bengaluru on Sunday (February 1), sources said.

At present, Air India has 33 Boeing 787s or Dreamliners.

Air India's Senior Vice President for Flight Operations, Manish Uppal, told Boeing 787 pilots that the airline has initiated a fleet-wide re-inspection of the aircraft's fuel control switches, according to sources.

Following the reported defect involving a fuel control switch on one of the B787 aircraft, Uppal said the airline's engineering team has escalated the matter to Boeing for priority evaluation.

Uppal also said that no adverse findings have been reported on the aircraft for which this re-inspection was completed, he said in the email sent to B787 pilots.

Amid a controversy over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi quoting from an unpublished "memoir" of former Army chief M M Naravane in Parliament, an expert on Parliamentary procedures on Tuesday (February 3) said Rule 349 bars members from reading from any book, newspaper or letter except in connection with the business of the House.

However, the Rule does not elaborate about published or unpublished.

The Lok Sabha on Monday (February 2) saw a stand-off between Speaker Om Birla and Gandhi when the Speaker disallowed the Leader of Opposition to quote from the unpublished memoir of the former army chief on the 2020 India-China conflict citing a House rule.

Speaker Birla cited Rule 349 to disallow Gandhi from quoting from the retired general's unpublished memoir. "Rules to be observed by members in House" falls under Rule 349. The rule has 23 sub clauses dealing with a variety of issues.

Sub clause one deals with members quoting from documents. "Whilst the House is sitting, a member (i) shall not read any book, newspaper or letter except in connection with the business of the House," it reads.

"It also means that a member can refer to any of these if it is in connection with the business of the House," former Lok Sabha secretary general P D T Achary told PTI. He said while the rule is "negatively framed", it has a "positive meaning" also which allows members to quote from document if they are relevant to the business of the House.

He underlined that though it is not in the rule, speakers have ruled in the past that members who want to quote something in the House should authenticate it. "He or she has to mention that they stand by it and also verify the content of the document being quoted," the constitution expert said.

The BJP has nominated its women corporators Neeta Thakre and Leela Hatibed for the post of mayor and deputy mayor, respectively, in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC).

The Opposition Congress has fielded Snehal Thakare and Vivek Nikose for the posts, the elections for which will be held on February 6.

As per the lottery held last month, the NMC will have a woman mayor from the general category.

After the registration of the BJP corporators' group at the divisional commissioner's office on Monday (February 2), Neeta Thakre (representing ward 28) and Hatibed (ward 29) filed their nominations, a release said. Their names were finalised after Union minister Nitin Gadkari, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Nagpur Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule held detailed discussions in Nagpur recently, it said.

The BJP has also decided to allocate the NMC standing committee chairperson's post to a woman corporator, and the name will be announced soon, party's city president Dayashankar Tiwari said.

In polls to the 151-member NMC last month, the BJP won 102 seats, Congress 34, AIMIM 6, Indian Muslim League 4, Shiv Sena (UBT) 2, while Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, BSP and NCP got 1 seat each. Out of the total BJP winners, 55 are women.

The India-US trade deal adds meaningful momentum to India's growth ambitions and supports the country's ambition to be a globally-competitive manufacturing and innovation hub, industry leaders said on Tuesday (February 3).

Reacting to the trade agreement between the two countries, Mahindra Group CEO & Managing Director Anish Shah welcomed the development, "A significant step forward in strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties. With the Indian economy on a strong growth trajectory, this deal adds meaningful momentum to India's growth ambitions."

Shah further said, "The immediate reduction in reciprocal tariffs on Indian exports to 18 per cent, along with the commitment to progressively lower tariff and non-tariff barriers, will boost growth momentum and improve the predictability businesses need to invest with confidence."

Expressing similar views, Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said the reduced tariffs will help strengthen the strategic and economic ties between the two great countries and provide additional opportunities for investment and collaboration.

Stating that the Aditya Birla Group is the largest Indian investor in the US, he said, "We see this agreement help shape more resilient supply chains, unlock manufacturing opportunities, and drive long-term economic competitiveness in both the US and India."

Birla said the group is committed to expanding its presence and investments in the US, "where we see substantial opportunities for innovation, growth and enduring partnerships."

TVS Motor Company chairman Sudarshan Venu also said the reduction in the US reciprocal tariff on Indian goods to 18 per cent is a positive step that improves export competitiveness and reinforces confidence in long-term bilateral economic ties, furthering Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

"In a challenging global environment, predictability and openness in trade help the Indian industry scale, innovate, and create jobs. We look forward to a stronger India-US partnership that accelerates growth, expands market access, and supports India's ambition to be a globally-competitive manufacturing and innovation hub," he added.

Reacting to the tariff reductions, Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra, in a crisp post on X, wrote, "More evidence of the benefits of 'Making haste slowly.' When the noise subsides, two natural partners will come together"

Similarly, RPG Enterprises chairman Harsh Goenka in a post on X said, "First the Mother of all deals with EU, now the Father of all deals with US - great achievement by PM Modi government! Patience pays.#TradeDeal."

SpiceJet chairman and managing director, Ajay Singh, said, "Coming on the back of recent trade agreements with the EU and the UK, this deal reinforces India's growing confidence and credibility on the global stage and lays the foundation for sustained growth and stronger international partnerships. The finalisation of the India-US trade deal is a watershed moment for our nation and a major boost for the ‘Made in India' brand.”

Congress MP KC Venugopal gives Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha to discuss India-US Trade Agreement. "Despite the significant economic, agricultural, and strategic implications of these reported commitments, the Government has neither made an official statement nor taken Parliament into confidence. The country has the right to know the exact terms and conditions of the proposed trade deal, and it is imperative that the Government place all details before Parliament and the nation. Given the urgency and public importance of the matter, this issue warrants immediate discussion through an Adjournment Motion," he mentioned in his notice.