The BJP on Friday slammed the Congress and other opposition parties for creating a 'negative atmosphere' around the Brics summit, alleging that they are unable to 'digest' India's progress as the country moves forward. According to reports from Business Standard, the ruling party said that while in 2011-12, under the Congress-led UPA government, India appeared to be losing its position within Brics, today all Brics heads of state are in India and the country is celebrating the summit 'as never before.' The political tensions have intensified with Congress leader P Chidambaram publicly questioning what India has actually extracted from BRICS, stating he didn't believe the last two or three summits had delivered 'tangible benefits or tangible results' and extending the same scepticism to the SCO, G20 and Quad. However, his party colleague Shashi Tharoor pushed back within a day, calling India's hosting a demonstration of 'diplomatic convening power' and framing BRICS as an indispensable platform for the Global South's 100 plus nations, even while conceding the bloc's internal divisions and India's trade imbalance with fellow members.
Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that during the tenure of Manmohan Singh, India's position in Brics had reached a stage where people were saying that 'India' should be removed and 'Indonesia' should replace the 'I' in Brics. As reported by Business Standard, he told reporters that 'The Congress leaders who are lamenting and asking, 'What did India gain?'' should remember that the truth is: 'You drowned India, we rebuilt it!'. He said the BJP has rebuilt and strengthened the country, making it a 'bright' spot in the world. Prasad added that this has been possible despite challenges such as the energy crisis, problems with global supply chains and the ongoing war in the Gulf, with India's growth rate standing at 7.8 per cent, which the IMF has acknowledged as accurate. The 18th BRICS Summit, running September 12-13 under the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability', brings together 11 full members representing roughly 41% of global GDP in PPP terms, with India hosting its fourth BRICS presidency after chairing the grouping three times before.
Prasad said the presence of heads of state and government from Russia, South Africa, Egypt, China and Iran at the summit reflects India's growing influence. According to Business Standard, he said this has been possible despite challenges such as the energy crisis, problems with global supply chains and the ongoing war in the Gulf, with India's growth rate standing at 7.8 per cent, which the IMF has acknowledged as accurate and described as a sign of the strength of the Indian economy. The marquee moment is Xi Jinping's bilateral with PM Modi – his first visit to India since 2019, and the first since the deadly 2020 Galwan clash froze relations. The two sides have spent efforts since 2024 cautiously rebuilding ties: an LAC patrolling agreement, resumed direct flights, restarted tourist visas and more frequent ministerial contact. Putin held his own dedicated sit-down with PM Modi, their second meeting in under two weeks after the SCO summit in Bishkek, with the agenda heavily defence-and-resource focused including the pending delivery of S-400 air defence systems, possible Su-57 stealth fighter sale, and early-stage cooperation on rare earths and critical minerals.
BJP MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra cited two articles published in leading newspapers in 2011 and 2012 to back his claims about India's transformation. As reported by Business Standard, Patra said that while the 'I' in BRIC was 'turning shaky' in 2011-12, India is now one of the strongest partners of Brics. He cited a 2012 article based on comments by global financial services firm Goldman Sachs, whose headline was 'India least attractive Brics member in valuation terms'. Patra said that when Jim O'Neill, then chairman of Goldman Sachs, was asked whether Brazil was the strongest BRIC country and India the weakest, he said India was the least attractive in terms of valuation. He further referenced a September 21, 2011 article highlighting high inflation and a weak currency in India. The underlying question Chidambaram raised – whether BRICS produces outcomes or mostly photographs – is one serious commentators share, with the idea of a BRICS currency to rival the dollar having effectively died due to Washington threatening tariffs of up to 100% on members seen as building a rival reserve currency.
