Chidambaram Questions Returns From BRICS And Other Blocs, BJP Hits Back
P Chidambaram questioned concrete gains from BRICS, SCO, G20 and QUAD, prompting a sharp BJP response ahead of the Delhi summit.
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram has raised doubts over the concrete returns India draws from its membership of major multilateral groupings, remarks that came just days before New Delhi hosts the BRICS Summit 2026.
Speaking about the upcoming gathering, Chidambaram said India belongs to several platforms — BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the G20 and the QUAD — but asked what tangible benefits the country has secured from them. He said he had not observed significant outcomes from the last two or three BRICS meetings, while noting that earlier summits had produced some concrete results.
The former Union minister also said he was unsure how many heads of state and government would attend the Delhi meeting.
The BJP responded sharply, with senior leader Nalin Kohli saying the comments raised questions about how the Congress views diplomacy. He pointed to the party's past record and asked whether it assesses diplomatic engagement purely in terms of give and take. Kohli also accused the Congress of trying to play politics over a significant international event.
India will host the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026, having assumed the chairship on January 1 under the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'. Preparations are under way in the capital, with civic and infrastructure agencies stepping up arrangements.
The expanded bloc now brings together eleven members — Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, India, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam participate as partner countries.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto are among the leaders expected to attend. Collectively, BRICS accounts for roughly 49 per cent of the world's population and about 40 per cent of global GDP.