Morning Digest: BRICS countries adopt New Delhi Declaration on first day of summit; Wangchuk accused of misleading people of Ladakh, and more

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders, poses for a photo during the 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhi on September 12, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI

India forged a consensus of BRICS countries on Saturday (September 12, 2026), after Iran and the United Arab Emirates agreed to a last-minute compromise on the language used about the war in West Asia, allowing the 11-member grouping to adopt the New Delhi Declaration at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The statement called for “maximum restraint” in the war in West Asia. It made no separate mention of the Russian war in Ukraine.

Former Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Ladakh, Thupstan Chhewang, on Saturday (September 12, 2026) said that the September 9 talks between Ladakhi civil society leaders, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and the Union Territory’s administration were “fruitful”, countering the perception conveyed by some members of the delegation, including prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk.

With the BRICS Summit underway in Delhi, a slum settlement located along the Nelson Mandela Marg and Munirka Marg in south Delhi’s Vasant Vihar has been covered with white-purple banners . The banners went up on Thursday night (September 10, 2026), two days ahead of the summit, to “hide the slums” from foreign dignitaries visiting Delhi during the summit, residents said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (September 12, 2026) met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, where the two leaders welcomed the “steady progress” in India-China relations since their last meeting in August 2025. “We reviewed the full range of India-China relations. Also conveyed best wishes for China’s BRICS presidency that commences next year,” said Mr. Modi in a message after the meeting.

The Election Commission of India on Saturday (September 12, 2026) met both factions of the Trinamool Congress , led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Ritabrata Banerjee, over their claim to the party name and symbol. The poll body has sought additional documents from the Ritabrata faction.

The political blame game over the reasons for the current power crisis in Keralam intensified on Saturday (September 12, 2026), with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government and the Opposition crossing swords over who is responsible for the disruptive electricity cuts bedevilling the State.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has rejected Tata Sons’ application to surrender its Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC) licence, saying the application ‘cannot be acceded to’.