Archive · 10 Sep 2026
BJP Challenges Chidambaram’s Questions on BRICS Benefits
P. Chidambaram said India had not received many clear benefits from recent BRICS meetings.
He also asked what India gains from other groups such as the SCO, G20 and QUAD.
The BJP disagreed with him.
BJP leader Nalin Kohli said diplomacy should not be judged only by immediate rewards.
He also criticized Congress’s past approach to Pakistan and asked what Congress had achieved diplomatically since 1947.
Kohli said Chidambaram was using the issue to criticize Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
India is preparing to host the BRICS meeting in New Delhi.
The summit is scheduled for September 12 and 13, 2026.
India took over the BRICS chairship on January 1, 2026.
Congress leader P. Chidambaram said recent BRICS summits had produced few tangible benefits for India.
He also questioned the practical gains India receives from the SCO, G20 and QUAD.
BJP leader Nalin Kohli accused Congress of viewing diplomacy as a transaction and politicizing the BRICS event.
Kohli questioned Congress’s diplomatic record from Independence through 2014, citing its approach toward Pakistan.
India will host the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026, after assuming the group’s chairship on January 1.
- Who
- Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member P. Chidambaram, BJP leader Nalin Kohli, and representatives of the BRICS member countries.
- What
- Chidambaram questioned the tangible benefits India has gained from recent BRICS summits, while the BJP criticized his remarks and Congress’s diplomatic record.
- When
- Chidambaram made the remarks on Wednesday, and the BJP response was reported on Thursday; the summit is scheduled for September 12-13, 2026.
- Where
- The summit will take place in New Delhi, India.
- Why
- Chidambaram said recent meetings had not produced significant results, while the BJP said his comments reduced diplomacy to transactions and politicized an important international event.
Chidambaram and Congress’s criticism
BJP’s response
Value of recent BRICS meetings
Chidambaram and Congress’s criticism
Chidambaram said he had not seen significant or tangible benefits from the last two or three BRICS summits.
BJP’s response
The BJP argued that diplomacy should not be assessed only through immediate, measurable or transactional gains.
India’s multilateral partnerships
Chidambaram and Congress’s criticism
Chidambaram questioned what concrete benefits India receives from BRICS, the SCO, G20 and QUAD.
BJP’s response
Kohli said the remarks reflected a questionable understanding of diplomacy and ignored the importance of international engagement and leader-level meetings.
Political context
Chidambaram and Congress’s criticism
Chidambaram presented his comments as questions about the outcomes of international groupings.
BJP’s response
The BJP accused Congress of using the BRICS issue to attack the Modi government and cited Congress’s diplomatic record and approach toward Pakistan.
- Summit host
- India
- Summit location
- New Delhi
- Summit dates
- September 12-13, 2026
- India’s chairship
- Began January 1, 2026
- Chairship theme
- Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability
- BRICS full members
- Eleven countries
- BRICS representation
- Around 49% of the world’s population and about 40% of global GDP
