Modi walks with Putin, Pezeshkian at BRICS Forum
Leaders of the bloc displayed solidarity on the red carpet at the New Delhi business forum.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
PM Modi, Putin and Pezeshkian joined other BRICS leaders at the Business Forum in New Delhi, projecting solidarity as they called for stronger trade, investment and business cooperation amid global economic and geopolitical uncertainty.
Photograph: Times of India (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked side-by-side with leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the BRICS Business Forum in New Delhi.
- Modi was observed holding hands with Pezeshkian during the procession along the red carpet.
- Iranian President Pezeshkian stated BRICS' strength lies in transforming economic capacities into practical cooperation.
- Modi noted that BRICS nations represent 50 per cent of the world's population and 40 per cent of its GDP.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 7 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
50/100
Craft
60/100
Hype
40/100
7 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
None of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked alongside leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the BRICS Business Forum 2026 in New Delhi. The leaders processed along a red carpet inside the summit venue, with official BRICS branding visible. Modi was seen holding hands with Pezeshkian during the walk, a visual display of solidarity among the leaders of the expanded grouping.
Iranian President Pezeshkian addressed the forum, stating that the strength of BRICS is not solely in the size of its members' economies but in converting these capacities into practical cooperation. He described the current global economic environment as complex, marked by geopolitical uncertainty, supply-chain disruptions, and the use of economic tools for political pressure. Prime Minister Modi highlighted the significance of BRICS nations, stating they represent 50 per cent of the global population, 40 per cent of its GDP, and over 25 per cent of global trade. He added that the combined GDP of BRICS nations has grown nearly four-and-a-half-fold, at nearly twice the pace of the rest of the world.
Disagreement on details of the walk
The Times of India and Latestly reported that Prime Minister Modi led heads of state, including Putin, Pezeshkian, and Ramaphosa, walking side-by-side. The Times of India also stated Modi was seen leading the way for the other group leaders. Hindustan Times reported Modi walked alongside the leaders, and that he was seen holding hands with the leaders as they walked together. India TV News reported Putin was on one side and Pezeshkian on another, with Modi holding the Iranian president's hand. Amar Ujala reported Modi held the Iranian president's hand, and Putin and Ramaphosa appeared together. Tribune India and aninews.in reported Modi was seen holding hands and walking with Pezeshkian, underscoring solidarity.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated reports or digests mention the specific details of Prime Minister Modi's proposals for BRICS startups and business partnerships, nor his remarks on freedom of navigation and seafarer safety, which were included in the centre-rated Hindustan Times report.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 11 Sept 2026, 18:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- Hindustan Times led with a headline describing a "stunning frame" of Modi, Putin, Pezeshkian, and Ramaphosa. The report stated Modi was seen holding hands with the leaders as they walked together, a display of ties among the grouping. It noted that BRICS countries together represent around 49.5 per cent of the world's population, 40 per cent of global GDP, and 26 per cent of global trade. The report also included Modi's call for BRICS countries to turn their economic strength into more investment and stronger business links, and his remarks on the necessity of safe sea routes for global trade.
Right
5 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports generally focused on the visual of leaders walking together and holding hands. Headlines from Times of India, Latestly, Tribune India, and aninews.in highlighted "BRICS hand-in-hand" and leaders walking "side by side, showcasing bloc unity." India TV News' headline noted "Putin on one side, Iran's Pezeshkian on another: PM Modi's striking BRICS pic carries Global South pitch." Amar Ujala's headline stated "BRICS: PM Modi Holds Iranian President's Hand, Putin and Ramaphosa Appear Together; Warmth Visible in Photo." The Times of India's full report included statements from Pezeshkian on converting economic capacities into practical cooperation and from Modi on BRICS nations representing 50 per cent of the world's population, 40 per cent of its GDP, and over 25 per cent of global trade. It also included remarks from Putin on business-to-business ties and structural shifts in the global economy. The digests from India TV News, Latestly, Tribune India, and aninews.in focused on the visual of leaders walking together and Modi holding Pezeshkian's hand.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Modi walks with Putin, Pezeshkian at BRICS Forum?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 17% are rated centre, 83% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 7. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Modi walks with Putin, Pezeshkian at BRICS Forum left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Modi walks with Putin, Pezeshkian at BRICS Forum biased?
- Modi walks with Putin, Pezeshkian at BRICS Forum is one event reported by 7 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Modi walks with Putin, Pezeshkian at BRICS Forum?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Modi walks with Putin, Pezeshkian at BRICS Forum?
- 7 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Who walked together at the BRICS Business Forum?
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked side-by-side with leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the BRICS Business Forum 2026 in New Delhi. Modi was observed holding hands with Pezeshkian during the procession.
- What did the leaders say at the forum?
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that BRICS' strength lies in converting economic capacities into practical cooperation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted that BRICS nations represent 50 per cent of the world's population and 40 per cent of its GDP, highlighting their growing economic strength.
- What is BRICS?
- BRICS was formed in 2009 as a grouping of major emerging economies. It expanded in 2024 and 2025 with new members, and currently comprises 11 countries including Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the UAE.
Read it at the source
7 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
1Right
5- Putin on one side, Iran's Pezeshkian on another: PM Modi's striking BRICS pic carries Global South pitch (opens India TV News in a new tab)
India TV News — is India TV News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- BRICS hand-in-hand: PM Modi, Putin, Pezeshkian, other leaders walk side by side, showcasing bloc unity (opens Times of India in a new tab)
Times of India — is Times of India biased? Our profile of this outlet
- BRICS Hand-in-Hand: PM Modi, Vladimir Putin, Masoud Pezeshkian, Other Leaders Walk Side by Side, Showcasing Bloc Unity | 📰 LatestLY (opens Latestly in a new tab)
- BRICS hand-in-hand: PM Modi, Putin, Pezeshkian, other leaders walk side by side, showcasing bloc unity - The Tribune (opens Tribune India in a new tab)
Tribune India — is Tribune India biased? Our profile of this outlet
- BRICS hand-in-hand: PM Modi, Putin, Pezeshkian, other leaders walk side by side, showcasing bloc unity (opens aninews.in in a new tab)
aninews.in — is aninews.in biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
1How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
