Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has backed India’s hosting of the BRICS Summit, stressing the grouping’s importance for New Delhi’s diplomatic outreach and its role as a platform for the Global South.
Tharoor’s comments come a day after senior Congress leader P Chidambaram questioned what tangible benefits India has received from recent BRICS summits. Chidambaram had said he had not seen significant outcomes from the last two or three meetings and also questioned the gains India has received from its participation in several multilateral groupings.
The contrasting remarks from the two Congress leaders have triggered a political debate over the relevance of BRICS and the benefits India can derive from its engagement with the grouping.
Tharoor Highlights India’s Diplomatic Role
Speaking ahead of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Tharoor said India’s decision to host the gathering was significant because it brings together major countries from the Global South.
According to Tharoor, the summit gives India an opportunity to convene countries with different political and economic perspectives while strengthening its diplomatic engagement across the developing world.
He described the grouping as an important forum for the Global South and said the countries taking part represent a wide range of interests and viewpoints.
Tharoor also pointed to the scale of the expanded BRICS grouping. The 11-member bloc represents nearly half of the world’s population and around 40 per cent of global GDP, according to recent assessments of the grouping’s economic weight.
‘Hosting BRICS Is a Major Diplomatic Opportunity’
Tharoor’s argument is that the significance of the summit cannot be measured only by immediate economic or commercial gains.
For India, he suggested, bringing several major Global South countries to New Delhi itself demonstrates the country’s ability to convene influential nations and engage with different power centres at the same time.
The BRICS Summit is being held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, with India chairing the grouping in 2026. The expanded bloc includes 11 member countries and has become an increasingly important platform for discussions on global governance, trade, economic cooperation and geopolitical issues.
Chidambaram Had Questioned India’s Gains
Tharoor’s comments came after Chidambaram raised doubts about the concrete outcomes of recent BRICS meetings.
Chidambaram pointed out that India is simultaneously part of BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the G20 and the QUAD. He questioned what measurable benefits India had received from these international groupings.
His comments prompted a sharp response from the BJP, which accused Congress of undermining India’s growing diplomatic profile.
The BJP has since used the differing positions of Chidambaram and Tharoor to target Congress, portraying their remarks as evidence of conflicting views within the opposition party.
BJP Seizes on Tharoor-Chidambaram Contrast
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also reacted to Tharoor’s comments, accusing Congress of sending contradictory messages about the BRICS Summit.
Bhandari shared a video of Tharoor’s remarks on X and claimed that Tharoor’s praise for the summit contradicted Chidambaram’s criticism of the grouping.
The BJP has repeatedly highlighted the presence of senior international leaders at the Delhi summit as evidence of India’s expanding diplomatic reach. The 2026 BRICS meeting is also taking place against a complicated geopolitical backdrop, including the ongoing conflict involving Iran and tensions affecting energy and trade routes.
BRICS Summit Comes at a Critical Time
The Delhi summit is expected to focus not only on economic cooperation but also on wider global challenges. India is seeking to use its chairmanship to strengthen cooperation among member states while navigating differences within the expanded grouping.
The presence of countries with competing geopolitical interests makes consensus a key challenge. At the same time, the summit gives India an opportunity to engage directly with major powers and emerging economies in a single forum.
The contrasting views of Tharoor and Chidambaram have therefore added a domestic political dimension to the BRICS debate. While Chidambaram has focused on whether the grouping has delivered measurable gains for India, Tharoor has emphasised its diplomatic value and India’s ability to bring major Global South players together.
