Indian Prime Minister Begins Central Asia Tour Amid Domestic Political Disputes

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Tashkent on Saturday to begin a diplomatic tour of Central Asia, where he is scheduled to hold high-level bilateral talks and attend a regional security summit. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met Modi upon his arrival. Following dinner on Saturday, the two leaders are scheduled to hold formal bilateral meetings on Sunday before departing for the Kyrgyz Republic.

The visit marks Modi’s fourth trip to Uzbekistan. In a social media post, Modi expressed gratitude for the reception, writing on X: “Landed in Tashkent to a warm welcome by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.” The Central Asian tour will culminate in the Kyrgyz Republic, where Modi will participate in the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. During the summit, Modi is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As the prime minister began his foreign tour, domestic political controversies escalated in India. In the eastern state of West Bengal, Kolkata Police registered a First Information Report against former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and organizers of a student wing rally held on Friday. A First Information Report is an official police document used in India to initiate a formal criminal investigation.

According to local police, the rally violated a Calcutta High Court order. The court had permitted Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress Party to hold the youth event on Cathedral Road on the condition that one side of the road remained open for traffic. Police stated that organizers failed to keep the lane operational, exceeded the court-ordered time limit, and that supporters jostled with officers after breaching barricades. Banerjee, who was unseated earlier this year by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party after 15 years in power, previously criticized the police, claiming the force had turned into a “monstrous entity” under ruling party governance.

Meanwhile, leaders of India’s main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, raised concerns regarding the publication of a forthcoming memoir by veteran political figure Sonia Gandhi. Opposition leaders alleged that publisher Penguin India faced political pressure to withdraw from publishing the book due to sensitive political content. The memoir, titled “Belonging: A Journey of Love,” is scheduled for release on November 10 under Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Congress party representatives claimed the alleged pressure was connected to portions of the memoir discussing Prime Minister Modi, a prominent Hindu nationalist organization, and allegations regarding Chinese presence on Indian territory during Modi’s tenure. Gandhi served as president of the Congress party from 1998 to 2017 and is its longest-serving leader.

Background

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a regional political and security alliance established in 2001, comprising nations across Eurasia including India, Russia, China, and several Central Asian republics. Prime Minister Modi’s scheduled bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin takes place within the framework of this annual summit.

Domestically, West Bengal has seen heightened political tensions following recent electoral shifts. Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress Party had governed the state for 15 years until her defeat earlier in 2026 by the national ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress remains the principal national opposition party, with Sonia Gandhi having led the party for nearly two decades.