After Chidambaram questions BRICS benefits for India, Shashi Tharoor praises its diplomatic value

New Delhi:

A day after senior Congress leader

Tharoor says India provides platform for Global South

Tharoor said India is providing an important platform for the Global South and the Global South is over 100 countries, but here India has 11 key players from the Global South who collectively represent much of the diversity of views, as well as the range of countries that India is essentially chairing on this particular occasion.

Tharoor highlighted the importance of BRICS Summit and said the 11 BRICS countries represents a majority of the world's population and 41 per cent of global GDP.

Tharoor says matter of prestige for India to host BRICS Summit

Saying that it is not a small matter, he said it is something that has to be taken very seriously by the rest of the world. Saying that it is a matter of prestige for India to host BRICS Summit 2026, Tharoor said the event has great global value.

Earlier, P Chidambaram talked about the upcoming BRICS Summit 2026 in Delhi and said India is part of several multilateral groupings, including BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), G20 and QUAD, but he questioned what concrete benefits the country has received from them.

He stated that he doesn’t know how many Presidents and how many Prime Ministers are coming but he does not think the last two or three BRICS summits have resulted in tangible benefits or tangible results for India.

BJP slams Chidambaram for questioning BRICS benefits

However, the BJP lashed out at Chidambaram and called him part of the "naraaz phupha" lot who can't digest India's growth and development.

The development comes at a time when the stage is set for BRICS 2026, with India welcoming global leaders to the grouping's deliberations to fortify ties, accelerate cooperation and enhance shared prosperity. This time, India is hosting the BRICS Summit from September 12 to 13 in the national capital. The BRICS Summit will be attended by leaders of 11 member countries and 10 partner countries, besides some international organisations.

It should be noted that India assumed Chairship of BRICS for the fourth time on January 1, with its 2026 presidency driven by the theme, "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability". Among the delegates, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and a number of global leaders are arriving in Delhi to attend the summit.

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