Morning Digest | February 5, 2026

Dramatic protests in Lok Sabha prevent PM’s reply to the motion of thanks

The Lok Sabha had to be adjourned for the day amid high drama on Wednesday (February 4, 2026) as women MPs from Opposition parties walked across the aisle and held up banners in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s front row seat ahead of his customary reply to the Presidential Address. They were protesting a BJP MP’s allegations against former Congress PMs.

Agricultural, dairy sectors protected in India-U.S. trade deal: Piyush Goyal in Parliament

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday (February 4, 2026) told Parliament that the government had been successful in protecting the Indian agricultural and dairy sectors in the India-U.S. trade deal. Making a statement in both Houses, Mr. Goyal said the deal would help make India self-reliant and added that the labour-intensive sectors would receive a major boost in exports following the reduction in tariffs to 18%, which were earlier pegged at 50%.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s statement on trade deal is a no-statement, says Congress

The Congress on Wednesday (February 4, 2026) said the statement on the India–U.S. trade agreement made by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in Parliament lacked substance and clarity. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh described it as a “non-statement”, arguing that it offered no concrete details as negotiations were still under way.

Insults fly as Rahul Gandhi, Ravneet Bittu trade ‘traitor’ and ‘enemy of the country’ jibes 

A sharp exchange of words between Lok Sabha Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu escalated into a political controversy on Wednesday (February 4, 2026), prompting BJP-led Sikh groups to protest outside the Congress office in the city by late afternoon.

Trinamool Congress, BJP engage in war of words in Rajya Sabha

On a day when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee argued in the Supreme Court against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) currently underway in 12 States, including her own, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) sparred in the Rajya Sabha over issues ranging from the State government’s alleged indifference toward Centrally sponsored schemes to road markings being painted in the TMC’s colours of white and blue instead of the universal yellow and black.

In his maiden speech in Rajya Sabha, Kamal Haasan calls Special Intensive Revision a ‘disease giving rise to many living dead’

Actor-turned-MP and president of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) Kamal Haasan, in his maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday (February 4, 2026), raised concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He said the SIR could delete 1 crore voters from the list in Tamil Nadu and expressed support for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s opposition to the SIR.

Every single genuine person must remain on electoral roll, CJI tells West Bengal CM in Supreme Court

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, heading a three-judge Supreme Court Bench, assured West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, standing in the front row of his crowded courtroom on Wednesday (February 4, 2026), that the Election Commission of India cannot “run away” from its Constitutional commitment to ensure that “every single genuine citizen” is included in the electoral roll during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Yumnam Khemchand Singh takes oath as Chief Minister of Manipur

The installation of a Bharatiya Janata Party‑led National Democratic Alliance government, with a Meitei leader at the helm, brought an end to nearly a year of President’s Rule in Manipur on Wednesday (February 4, 2026). Around 6 p.m., Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla administered the oath of office to former Assembly Speaker and martial artist Yumnam Khemchand Singh as the State’s second Chief Minister since the 2022 election. The first, Nongthombam Biren Singh, resigned on February 9, 2025, as a casualty of the ethnic conflict between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities that broke out on May 3, 2023.

Supreme Court asks if Centre can reconsider Sonam Wangchuk’s detention on health grounds

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (February 4, 2026) asked whether the Centre could rethink the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk considering his health condition, while pointing out that he has been in confinement since September 2025, for nearly five months now. A Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and P.B. Varale observed that Mr. Wangchuk’s health report was not good.

Ladakh leaders press for Statehood; talks with Home Ministry remain inconclusive

The talks between the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ladakh civil society leaders, being held after more than three months, remained inconclusive, said Cherring Dorjay Lakruk, co-convener of the Leh Apex Body (LAB). The October 22, 2025, draft proposal submitted by the group regarding Statehood and inclusion of Ladakh under the sixth schedule of the Constitution, thus giving it a tribal status, was discussed at the meeting.

Indian cities could see far higher temperature rise than projected, says study

Climate models may be underestimating — by anything from half to two degrees — how much hotter India’s non-metropolitan cities can get from global warming relative to rural areas, according to a study published Wednesday (February 4, 2026). The researchers, from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom, analysed how temperatures would rise in 104 “medium-sized” cities in tropical and sub-tropical regions under a 2°C warming scenario, the emissions path that the globe is currently on. Rather than asking how hot regions become on average, the study asks a different question: how much faster do cities warm than their surrounding countryside?

Three minors end life after being denied access to mobile phone

Three minor sisters ended their lives early on Wednesday (February 4, 2026) after jumping off the balcony of a ninth-floor flat in Ghaziabad, as their parents had restricted mobile phone usage, the police said. The sisters, Nishika, 16, Prachi, 14 and Pakhi, 12, were found dead on the pavement near a community park of the gated community, a little after 2 a.m. The incident came to light as residents of the apartments woke up to cries of their parents.

Denotified tribes seek constitutional recognition, separate Census entry

Denotified tribes, nomadic tribes, and semi-nomadic tribes across the country are coming together to push for a “separate column” for themselves in the 2027 Census. Their demand is for constitutional recognition of the Denotified Tribes in a Schedule, on par with the existing classifications of Scheduled Castes and Tribes (SCs/STs) and other backward classes (OBCs).

U.K. asks Air India to explain Boeing Dreamliner fuel-switch incident

Britain’s aviation authority has asked ‌Air India to explain how a Boeing Dreamliner passenger jet ​which was grounded on arrival in India for safety checks took off from London on Sunday (February 1, 2026) with a possibly faulty fuel switch, a letter shows. The U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), in a letter to the airline dated Tuesday (February 3, 2026), warned of the possibility of regulatory action against Air India and its Boeing 787 fleet if the airline does not submit a complete response ​within a week.

Bharat Taxi cooperative cab service to be launched by Home Minister

Union Minister for Home Affairs and Cooperation Amit Shah will launch India’s first cooperative-based ride-hailing platform, Bharat Taxi, on Thursday (February 5, 2026). Bharat Taxi has been conceptualised as a transformative initiative in the mobility sector, placing drivers —referred to as sarathis (charioteers) — at the centre of ownership, operations, and value creation, thereby freeing them from exploitative aggregator-based models, a statement by the Cooperation Ministry said.

Andre Beteille: A sociologist with rigorous scholarship who laid emphasis on importance of fieldwork

Renowned Indian sociologist and writer Andre Beteille died due to age-related illness at his residence in New Delhi on Tuesday. He was 91. The passing away of Professor Beteille, one of India’s foremost scholars, brought forth a rush of tributes from colleagues and former students, amid a realisation that it also marks the passing of a particular way of scholarship, and of a practitioner of teaching as a vocation.

Iran, U.S. to hold nuclear talks in Oman on February 6

Nuclear talks between Iran and the United States will take place on Friday (February 6, 2026) in Oman, the Iranian Foreign Minister said, as tensions between the countries remain high following Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month. The announcement by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday (February 4, 2026) came after hours of indications that the anticipated talks were faltering over changes in the format and content of the talks.

Maduro ally Saab, Venezuelan businessman once held in U.S., arrested again

Venezuelan official Alex Saab, a Colombian-Venezuelan former businessman ‍once held in the U.S., was arrested in Venezuela on Wednesday (February 4, 2026) ​as part of a joint operation between U.S. and ‌Venezuelan authorities, a U.S. law enforcement official said. Saab, a ​close ally of President Nicolas Maduro, was cinematically detained in Cape Verde in 2020 and held in the U.S. for more than three years on bribery charges, before being granted clemency in exchange for the release of Americans held in Venezuela.

Almost 200 separatists killed after attacks in Pakistan, says official

Pakistan’s security forces have killed almost 200 separatist insurgents in southwestern Balochistan province since they launched a wave of attacks over the weekend, a security official said Wednesday (February 4, 2026), taking the overall death toll past 250. Fighting has continued between government forces and the militants following the coordinated attacks, with sporadic clashes still taking place in some districts after gunmen stormed banks, jails, police stations and military installations.

WPL: Royal Challengers Bengaluru stands between Delhi Capitals and a maiden title

Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals aren’t in uncharted territory as they gear up for the final of the Women’s Premier League on Thursday. Two seasons ago, it was these two teams that battled for the grand prize at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Smriti Mandhana and Co. emerged victorious then, spreading cheer among a fervent fan base yearning for silverware.