Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has backed India’s hosting of the BRICS Summit, describing the event as a demonstration of the country’s “diplomatic convening power” amid a political controversy sparked by fellow Congress leader P Chidambaram’s criticism of the grouping.
Tharoor, speaking to PTI on Thursday, said the summit provides India with an important platform to engage with key countries of the Global South and should be viewed as a matter of prestige.
Tharoor Highlights Global South Role
Tharoor said the BRICS grouping provides a platform for countries representing a significant share of the world’s population and economy.
“First of all, we’re providing an important platform for the Global South,” he said, adding that the 11 BRICS countries collectively represent a majority of the global population and 41 per cent of global GDP.
He said the scale of participation makes the summit significant for India.
“It’s not a small matter; it’s something that has to be taken very seriously by the rest of the world,” Tharoor said.
The Congress MP also described the presence of heads of state and government, including observers attending at the presidential and prime ministerial level, as a matter of “great prestige” for India.
According to Tharoor, the opportunity demonstrates India’s ability to bring major international players together and has value on the global stage.
Chidambaram Questions Tangible Benefits
Tharoor’s comments came after Chidambaram questioned the concrete benefits India had received from participating in multilateral groupings such as BRICS.
Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Chidambaram said India is part of several international groupings, including BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), G20 and QUAD, but questioned what tangible outcomes the country had gained from them.
He said he had not seen significant tangible benefits from the last two or three BRICS summits, while acknowledging that earlier summits had produced more concrete outcomes.
His comments drew criticism from the BJP, which questioned the Congress’ approach to diplomacy.
BJP Attacks Congress Over BRICS Remarks
BJP leaders accused the Congress of undermining the significance of India hosting the summit.
Senior BJP leader Nalin Kohli questioned whether diplomacy should be viewed purely in terms of immediate, measurable transactions. He also highlighted the opportunity for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold bilateral meetings with visiting leaders.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari similarly accused the Congress of suffering from “FOMO” over India hosting the summit and claimed the opposition was opposing the event despite its international significance.
India Hosts 18th BRICS Summit
The 18th BRICS Summit is scheduled to be held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi during the weekend under the theme “Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
India assumed its fourth BRICS chairship on January 1, coinciding with the grouping completing 20 years since its establishment. India previously held the chair in 2012, 2016 and 2021.
The summit is expected to focus on major global challenges, including the economic consequences of the ongoing West Asia crisis.
