Russian leader Vladimir Putin said that India’s cooperation with the US won’t harm India-Russia relations, while US President Donald Trump said he has a "good relationship" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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Below are developments from India on Friday, June 5.
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India’s economy grew at a faster rate than forecasted in the first quarter of 2026, official data released Friday showed.
The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) rose 7.8% in the January-March quarter from the same period the year before.
While the GDP was below the 8% registered in the previous quarter, it was still above market expectations of 7.3%.
India estimates GDP growth for the fiscal year 2025-2026, which ended in March, at 7.7% — up from 7.1% in the previous year.
Meanwhile on Friday, India’s central bank lowered its GDP forecast for 2026-27 to 6.6% from the 6.9% estimated in April, citing heightened global uncertainty and supply disruptions, stemming from the Middle East crisis.
“Prolonged global supply-chain disruptions, heightened volatility in global financial markets, and weather-related shocks continue to pose downside risks to the domestic growth outlook,” the Reserve Bank of India’s governor Sanjay Malhotra said.
He added that rising energy prices and supply disruptions of key commodities are likely to weigh on economic activity going forward.
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India’s quick-commerce industry is transforming how millions of people in the South Asian country shop, with groceries and essentials delivered in minutes by a workforce of thousands of riders.
Now worth over $7 billion (€6 billion) and growing rapidly, the sector relies on speed-driving delivery workers who earn per order. They face intense pressure from incentive-based pay systems, often working long hours without job security.
While consumers embrace the convenience — placing more than 10 million orders a day — delivery riders report low pay, safety risks and burnout, with some working up to 18 hours daily.
Economists warn that behind the rapid growth of platforms like Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy and Instamart lies a deeply unequal labor model, raising questions about whether India’s fast-growing quick commerce industry can deliver fair jobs alongside fast service.
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Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stae unit president for Tamil Nadu, K Annamalai, has formally exited the BJP after his resignation was accepted by the party’s national president on Friday.
“The National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Nitin Nabin, has accepted the resignation submitted by the Tamil Nadu Ex. State President, K. Annamalai from the primary membership of the Party,” the BJP said in a press statement, cited by the Indian media.
Annamalai, who was among the BJP’s most prominent faces in the southern state, announced he would launch a new political movement and said he would fight in the next state elections.
“I have quit BJP in a dignified manner, to usher in a new kind of politics,” news agency PTI quoted him as saying in an address on social media.
The goals are bigger and more people have to be taken along and “from today onwards, a new path, a new movement, a new political movement,” he said.
Annamalai’s exit is “no loss” to the party, current BJP state chief Nainar Nagenthran said about his predecessor’s resignation.
Nagenthran replaced Annamalai as Tamil Nadu’s BJP chief in 2025.
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Indian companies are willing to deepen their presence in Venezuela, Indian Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said as he met Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez in New Delhi.
“Indian companies already have existing investments in Venezuela and now look forward to building upon them, in addition to looking for newer opportunities for fruitful collaborations.” Puri said on X.
The Indian minister added that a delegation will visit Venezuela soon to explore opportunities in the Latin American nation’s energy sector.
“Venezuela possesses biggest proven reserves of oil in the world, while India not only possesses huge demand for energy but also has the technological expertise and manpower to refine Venezuelan crude in our refineries. Venezuela is already among the largest crude oil suppliers to India in April & May 2026, which is a reflection of the future potential,” Puri said.
Abhijeet Dipke, the US-based founder of India’s digital satirical political movement — the “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) — was leaving for New Delhi on Friday ahead of a planned protest.
The viral movement is moving from the online space to the heart of the Indian capital after calling for a “peaceful protest” on June 6 to demand the resignation of country’s education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination-related lapses, following a slew of exam paper leaks and cancelations.
“On my way to India… Leaving my fate in the hands of the Constitution,” Dipke wrote on social media platform X on Friday.
The parody party was formed in May after India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant reportedly likened some unemployed young people to “cockroaches” and “parasites.”
Kant’s remarks were met with a massive youth backlash and the top judge later said that his comments were taken out of context.
Dipke, a 30-year-old Boston University graduate and a political communications strategist, created the party online and it soon broke the internet in India as it tapped into the nerve of youth discontent in the country.
As of today, it has 22.1 million followers on Instagram, way more than India’s political bigwigs — the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at 9.4 million and opposition Congress at 13.7 million.
Authorities in India have blocked some of the CJP’s social media, citing “national security’ concerns”.
On Thursday, Dipke, who formerly worked with the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), urged his followers not to gather at the airport for his arrival.
“The overwhelming response from those who want the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan to our call to join us at Delhi Airport was beyond our imagination,” he said, in a video on X.
“It is not feasible for so many people to assemble at the airport as it would cause inconvenience to the public and the security forces,” he appealed.
Dipke said he would instead go to the police station to seek permission directly for the demonstration at Jantar Mantar — the capital’s iconic designated protest site.
“We are law abiding citizens and have to act responsibly,” he added. “So, please, be mindful that nobody should create any kind of disturbance.”
Meanwhile on Friday, the Delhi High Court declined a plea to hear on an urgent basis a petition raising law and order concerns over the CJP’s Saturday protest.
An NGO has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking preventive, regulatory, and crowd-control mechanisms in relation to the protest, according to legal website Bar and Bench.
United States President Donald Trump has called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi his “good friend,” exuding confidence that the US and India would reach a key trade deal.
“We will get to a deal because I like your prime minister a lot (Narendra Modi). He is a good friend of mine. We get along great, and we are gonna make a deal,” Trump said while talking to reporters at the Oval Office.
Washington and New Delhi reached an initial understanding of a trade deal in February, but negotiations stalled after the US Supreme Court struck down Trump’s series of tariff measures.
This week, a US delegation led by chief negotiator Brendan Lynch was in New Delhi to finalize an interim bilateral trade agreement.
When asked about the trade agreement’s negotiations, Trump accused India of exploiting Washington’s policies and charging “tremendous” tariffs, stating that his policies were now reversing the situation.
“For years, India took advantage of the United States… They charged us tremendous tariffs and paid nothing… Now it is the exact reverse, and we are making a lot of money with India,” he said.
Trump’s remarks on the trade deal come after the US announced additional 12.5% tariffs on goods from India and 53 other economies for allegedly failing to prohibit imports made with forced labor.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed his country’s strategic partnership with India, adding that New Delhi’s cooperation with the United States did not harm India-Russia ties.
On Thursday, speaking to reporters at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, Putin called India a “great country” and a “reliable partner.”
“We are glad that India is developing its relations with all countries it thinks important for its national interests,” Putin told the media.
He said that the US was trying to put pressure on India over its relations with Russia, adding that it was “detrimental” to pressurize Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Everyone has understood that putting pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi (and India) that has the largest population in the world, is detrimental for international relations and for bilateral relations. It doesn’t matter where this pressure comes from,” the Russian leader said.
India and Russia share a relationship that spans decades and is deeply rooted in history and defense. Meanwhile, the US has been asking India to scale back its procurement of Russian crude oil.
Putin said that India is among the world’s major economies and is currently demonstrating “an impressive rate” of economic growth.
“This is not something that comes out of the blue. This is result of the hardwork that the government of India has been doing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” news agency PTI quoted Putin as saying.
He expressed confidence that bilateral trade with India was on course to reach $100 billion (€86 billion) mark in the coming years.
“We are engaged in a lot of joint efforts, we hope that in upcoming years, we will reach $100 billion in mutual trade… We have all the foundations to work more actively and to reach more ambitious goals,” PTI reported Putin as saying.
This is Dharvi Vaid Dhulia from DW’s studio in New Delhi. We are back with the Friday edition of the India blog, where we break down all the biggest developments that are creating a buzz in the world’s most populous nation.
The Trump-Modi-Putin triangle is back in the news!
New Delhi’s delicate balancing act between Moscow and Washington has come to the forefront once again after recent remarks from Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump — both praising India’s leader, Narendra Modi.
Putin said that “Western pressure” on Modi over India’s cooperation with Russia is “detrimental” to international relations. Trump said he gets along “great” with Modi.
In the domestic political arena, India’s “cockroaches” are planning a protest in the national capital tomorrow to demand the resignation of the country’s education minister. The leader of the viral satirical political movement is headed to India.
Stay with us as we bring you all this and more.
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