India in February 2026: the most important developments in politics
In February 2026, India's politics was marked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel. He met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog, addressed the Knesset as the first Indian prime minister to do so, and condemned terrorism. The two countries signed over a dozen agreements to deepen defense and economic ties and to work toward a free trade agreement. The opposition Congress party criticized the visit, and Israel's opposition threatened to boycott the speech. At month end, India told its citizens in Iran and Israel to register with embassies and take care after an Israeli attack on Tehran, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke with his Iranian counterpart.
In the neighbourhood, Tarique Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party won a landslide election in Bangladesh. Modi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge congratulated him, Modi promised support for a democratic and inclusive Bangladesh, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla delivered an invitation to India. Relations with Pakistan stayed tense: Pakistan said evidence linked India to attacks by the Balochistan Liberation Army, and India rejected the claim as baseless. India also condemned Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan.
At home, Modi and Congress traded sharp accusations in parliament over the US trade deal, which Congress called a surrender, and ahead of West Bengal elections. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi raised Jeffrey Epstein in parliament, and Minister Hardeep Puri denied wrongdoing after acknowledging that he had met Epstein a few times. Congress led in Telangana municipal polls. On February 27 a Delhi court discharged former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former deputy Manish Sisodia in the liquor policy corruption case, clearing all 23 accused. The Enforcement Directorate attached a Mumbai residence of businessman Anil Ambani. In Manipur, Yumnam Khemchand Singh was sworn in as Chief Minister, ending a year of President's rule.
India also received French President Emmanuel Macron on a state visit and announced a global strategic partnership, with talks on additional Rafale fighter jets. India abstained in a UN vote calling for a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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