Archive · 11 Sep 2026
Tharoor Defends BRICS Value After Chidambaram Questions Benefits
India is hosting the BRICS summit in Delhi.
Shashi Tharoor said BRICS helps important countries from the Global South meet and discuss major issues.
He said the 11 members represent most of the world’s people and 41% of its economy.
He also said hosting many leaders gives India prestige and shows its ability to bring countries together.
However, Tharoor said BRICS members do not always agree.
Its foreign ministers previously issued a chair’s declaration instead of a joint statement after disagreements over the Iran war and Russia-Ukraine conflict.
He also said India’s exports to BRICS countries have fallen while imports have risen.
P. Chidambaram said recent BRICS meetings had not produced clear benefits for India.
The BJP criticized Chidambaram’s comments, while Salman Khurshid said the Opposition should be consulted about India’s representation.
Shashi Tharoor said BRICS provides an important platform for the Global South.
He said the 11 BRICS countries represent a majority of the world’s population and 41% of global GDP.
Tharoor called India’s hosting of the summit a matter of prestige and diplomatic convening power.
He acknowledged challenges including disagreements over the Iran war, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and India’s trade imbalance.
P. Chidambaram questioned the tangible results of recent BRICS summits, drawing criticism from the BJP.
- Who
- Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor, P. Chidambaram and Salman Khurshid, along with the BJP, discussed the value and representation of BRICS.
- What
- Tharoor defended BRICS’s diplomatic importance while acknowledging consensus and trade problems; Chidambaram questioned its tangible results.
- When
- The comments were made on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday ahead of the BRICS summit.
- Where
- The discussion concerned the summit in Delhi and an earlier BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi.
- Why
- The leaders were debating whether BRICS has produced concrete benefits for India and how India should be represented while hosting the summit.
Benefits Questioned
Benefits Defended
Concrete results for India
Benefits Questioned
P. Chidambaram said the last two or three BRICS summits had not produced tangible benefits or results for India.
Benefits Defended
Shashi Tharoor said BRICS gives India an important Global South platform and demonstrates its diplomatic convening power.
Value despite disagreements
Benefits Questioned
The inability to reach joint positions on major global issues raises questions about the grouping’s coherence and effectiveness.
Benefits Defended
Tharoor said BRICS remains significant because its 11 members represent much of the world’s population and global GDP, even though consensus is difficult.
India’s representation
Benefits Questioned
Salman Khurshid said the summit should represent the entire country, including the Opposition, and called for consultation.
Benefits Defended
The BJP defended the importance of India hosting the summit and criticized Congress’s approach to the event.
- BRICS membership
- Tharoor referred to 11 BRICS countries.
- Global economic share
- Tharoor said the BRICS countries represent 41% of global GDP.
- Diplomatic role
- Tharoor described BRICS as an important platform for the Global South.
- Hosting benefit
- He called hosting heads of state, government and observers a matter of prestige for India.
- Consensus challenge
- BRICS foreign ministers previously issued a chair’s declaration rather than an agreed joint declaration.
- Trade concern
- Tharoor said India’s exports to BRICS countries declined while imports increased.
- Chidambaram’s view
- Chidambaram said he had not seen tangible benefits from the last two or three BRICS summits.
