The political debate within the Congress over the BRICS Summit has intensified after party MP Shashi Tharoor publicly backed the event and highlighted its importance for India’s global standing. Tharoor’s comments came after senior Congress leader and MP P Chidambaram questioned the concrete benefits India has gained from hosting and participating in major multilateral forums such as BRICS. While Chidambaram’s remarks drew criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Tharoor defended the summit and described it as an example of India’s growing diplomatic influence.

Tharoor Highlights India’s Diplomatic Reach

Speaking to news agency PTI on Thursday, Tharoor said the BRICS Summit gives India an important opportunity to bring together countries from the Global South. “First of all, we're providing an important platform for the Global South. You know, the Global South is over 100 countries, but here we have 11 key players from the Global South who collectively represent much of the diversity of views, as well as the range of countries that we are essentially chairing on this particular occasion. This grouping, the 11 BRICS countries, represents a majority of the world's population and 41 per cent of global GDP.” Tharoor said the scale and representation of the grouping make the summit significant for the international community. “It's not a small matter; it's something that has to be taken very seriously by the rest of the world.” The Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram also stressed the importance of India hosting the summit this year. He described the event as a “matter of great prestige” for the country. He said the arrival of several heads of state and government shows India's ability to bring major international leaders together. “Secondly, of course, having a dozen heads of state and government, not only members of BRICS but also some observers coming at presidential and prime ministerial level, is a matter of great prestige for us. It shows a certain diplomatic convening power, which has value in and of itself on the global stage,” he said.

Chidambaram Questions BRICS Benefits

The disagreement began after Chidambaram questioned the tangible outcomes of recent BRICS summits. Speaking to news agency ANI on Wednesday, Chidambaram pointed out that India is a member of several major international groupings. These include BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), G20 and QUAD. He questioned whether these memberships had produced enough concrete benefits for India. “I don't know how many Presidents and how many Prime Ministers are coming. I don't think the last two or three BRICS summits have resulted in tangible benefits or tangible results,” he told news agency ANI. “In fact, we are part of BRICS, we are part of SCO, we are part of G20, and we are part of QUAD. What benefits are we getting out of that? I can't see. In the last two or three summits, I didn't see any benefits. Earlier, the BRICS Summits resulted in some tangible benefits,” he added. His comments triggered a sharp response from the BJP, which questioned the Congress' broader approach to international diplomacy.

BJP Attacks Congress Over Chidambaram Remarks

BJP leader Nalin Kohli criticised Chidambaram’s comments, particularly because India is hosting the BRICS Summit and several world leaders are expected to attend. “It is a surprise to note the statement of Mr. Chidambaram and the Congress Party, particularly at a time when India is hosting such an important event, the BRICS summit, where many heads of state and heads of government will come, and there will be direct meetings also, one-on-one meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and these leaders,” Kohli said. He questioned whether the Congress was judging diplomacy only through immediate and measurable gains. “What is the intent of the Congress Party? Is diplomacy to be seen as a transaction, like the Congress Party is projecting? What have I done for you? What will you do for me? Kind of an approach. What is the so-called tangible result? I mean, if we talk of tangible results, we can question what the Congress party's entire approach from 1947 right up to 2014 was on diplomacy..The Congress party certainly raises questions about itself when it asks and points out the so-called tangible results and questions the BRICS summit in Delhi,” he added.

BJP Says Congress Has BRICS FOMO

BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also attacked the Congress over the criticism of the summit. He accused the opposition party of opposing the event because of what he described as a deep-seated “Fear Of Missing Out” or FOMO. “If you observe the Congress today, seeing that the BRICS Summit is taking place in India, they are opposing it just like that 'naaraz fufa'. This is because the Congress knows that whenever the country prospers, whenever it involves boosting India's pride, the Congress party will always oppose it,” he said. Bhandari also linked the criticism to the Congress' political ambitions and Rahul Gandhi. “Senior Congress leaders are beginning to realise that they may never see (Congress MP) Rahul Gandhi become Prime Minister in their lifetime, nor will the Congress ever get the opportunity to host the BRICS Summit. Congress is experiencing FOMO,” he added.

BRICS Summit 2026 in Delhi

The 18th BRICS Summit is scheduled to take place at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi during the weekend. The summit is being held under the theme 'Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’. India is a founding member of BRICS. It has previously held the BRICS chairship in 2012, 2016 and 2021. India assumed its fourth BRICS chairship on January 1. The latest chairship also coincides with the grouping completing 20 years since its establishment. The summit is expected to focus on several major global issues. Discussions are likely to include economic challenges, international cooperation and the impact of the ongoing West Asia crisis. The political exchange over the summit has therefore added a domestic dimension to an event that India is using to highlight its diplomatic reach and engagement with the Global South.