A political row has erupted between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after former finance minister P Chidambaram questioned what India has gained from recent BRICS Summits, saying he has not seen any tangible benefits from the last two or three summits.
No benefit to India from BRICS Summit: Chidambaram
Speaking about the upcoming BRICS Summit 2026 in Delhi, Chidambaram said India is part of several multilateral groupings, including BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), G20 and QUAD, but questioned what concrete benefits the country has received from them.
"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," Chidambaram 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.
BJP hits back
Hitting back at Chidambaram over his remarks on India hosting the BRICS summit, the BJP questioned the Congress' understanding of diplomacy and accused the party of viewing foreign policy through a transactional lens.
BJP MP Nalin Kohli said it was surprising that Chidambaram and the Congress were questioning the significance of the summit at a time when India is hosting a major international event that will bring several heads of state and government to the country.
"It is a surprise to note the statement of 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," he said.
He also questioned the Congress' intent, saying, "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," he added.
Kohli further said Chidambaram was attempting to make a political point where, according to him, none existed. "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. The Congress party has much to answer. By Chidambaram's strange logic, we don't see any benefit. Tomorrow, if somebody says that they see no benefit from the Congress party, will the Congress party then shut down? So I think Chidambaram is trying to make a political point when none exists, and this is just another attempt by the Congress party to somehow criticize anything and everything that PM Modi's government does, even when there is no merit or any reason to criticise it," the BJP leader said.
BRICS Summit 2026
India is set to host the 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. The summit will be held at Bharat Mandapam and will bring together leaders of BRICS member and partner countries as well as outreach invitees.
The programme includes a closed-door session for BRICS members, the Bharat Innovates exhibition, a leaders' family photograph, a joint tree-planting exercise and a gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the first day. The second day will include the arrival of partner-country leaders and outreach invitees, followed by an open session focused on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.
India assumed the BRICS chairship on January 1, 2026, for the fourth time, having previously held it in 2012, 2016 and 2021. The year also marks 20 years since the establishment of BRICS.
BRICS is a political and diplomatic coordination forum for countries of the Global South. It does not have a constitutive treaty, its own budget or a permanent secretariat, and its cooperation traditionally revolves around three broad pillars: political and security cooperation, economic and financial cooperation, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
The grouping currently has 11 full members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Indonesia formally joined as a full member in January 2025.
BRICS also has a partner-country category, which was created at the 2024 Kazan Summit. The current partner countries are Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Partner countries are generally invited to the leaders' summit and can take part in other BRICS meetings when there is consensus among the members.
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