CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Delhi: Congress leader and former Union minister P. Chidambaram has raised a question that deserves a serious answer: what tangible benefits has India actually gained from recent BRICS summits? His criticism comes just ahead of the BRICS Leaders’ Summit scheduled in New Delhi on September 12–13, 2026. The Bharatiya Janata Party has strongly criticised his remarks, accusing the Congress of questioning India’s diplomatic achievements.
Political exchanges such as the BJP’s “Naaraz Fufa” and “FOMO” jibes may generate headlines, but they should not overshadow the larger policy question. In foreign policy, it is legitimate for the government to be asked what an international grouping delivers for India. Equally, it is important to recognise that diplomatic gains cannot always be measured immediately through a trade agreement, investment figure or a single summit declaration.
BRICS has strategic value for India because it brings together major economies and influential countries from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Its expansion has increased its global weight, but it has also made the group more difficult to manage. The current tensions surrounding the Iran war, particularly differences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, demonstrate how divergent interests can complicate consensus within the grouping.
For India, therefore, the objective should not be to turn BRICS into an anti-Western alliance. New Delhi’s traditional strength has been strategic autonomy. India must be able to work with the United States and Europe while simultaneously maintaining productive relations with Russia, China, West Asian countries, Africa and Latin America. BRICS can strengthen that flexibility if India uses it as a platform for cooperation rather than confrontation.
The economic question, however, cannot be ignored. Recent data indicate that India’s trade with BRICS members has expanded significantly, but the growth has been heavily tilted towards imports. According to an analysis cited by the Economic Times, India’s trade deficit with the BRICS bloc reached $226.1 billion in financial year 2025-26, compared with $74.5 billion in 2020-21. This is precisely the kind of issue that should form part of a serious assessment of BRICS.
If BRICS is to become more useful for India, the focus must shift towards increasing Indian exports, opening markets for Indian businesses, improving supply-chain cooperation, strengthening energy security and attracting investment. A large membership alone does not guarantee economic advantage. Market access and balanced trade are what ultimately matter.
India is also pushing for greater cooperation in digital payments. New Delhi is advocating the linking of central bank digital currencies among BRICS countries to make cross-border transactions faster and more efficient. Such an initiative could potentially reduce transaction costs and create new opportunities for trade and remittances. At the same time, significant technical, financial and geopolitical obstacles remain, particularly because member countries have different payment systems and varying levels of trust.
This is where the government should welcome scrutiny rather than respond only with political counterattacks. If India believes BRICS is delivering results, the achievements should be presented clearly: how much investment has been generated, how much market access has improved, how Indian exports have benefited, what progress has been made in technology and energy cooperation, and what diplomatic objectives have been achieved.
The opposition, too, has a responsibility. Asking what India has gained is a legitimate democratic function, but criticism becomes more valuable when accompanied by an alternative strategy. If BRICS is considered ineffective, what should India do differently? Should it disengage, reform the grouping, or use it more selectively? These are the questions that would elevate the debate beyond political rhetoric.
The BJP’s response also deserves scrutiny. Foreign policy achievements should be defended through evidence, not merely through accusations that the opposition is jealous of India’s global rise. Similarly, opposition criticism should not automatically be portrayed as hostility towards national interests. A mature democracy should be able to debate foreign policy without turning every disagreement into a partisan battle.
The upcoming Delhi summit offers India an opportunity to demonstrate that BRICS can produce practical outcomes. Cooperation in digital payments, trade, development finance, health, technology, agriculture and energy could provide the grouping with a more constructive agenda. India’s role should be to build consensus among countries with different interests rather than allowing BRICS to become another arena for geopolitical confrontation.
The central challenge is particularly important because BRICS has never been larger, but greater size does not automatically mean greater effectiveness. Its members have different political systems, economic priorities and relationships with the major powers. India’s diplomatic skill will therefore be tested by its ability to preserve the group’s relevance while protecting its own strategic autonomy.
Ultimately, the question should not be whether BRICS is a success or failure in absolute terms. The more useful question is whether India is extracting the maximum possible strategic and economic value from its membership.
BRICS should not be judged by the number of leaders attending a summit, the grandeur of the venue or the strength of political slogans. It should be judged by measurable outcomes—greater market access for Indian companies, stronger energy security, better digital connectivity, increased investment, improved diplomatic leverage and a stronger voice for developing countries.
Chidambaram’s question is therefore worth debating. The government’s answer should come not through political sarcasm, but through evidence and results. Likewise, the opposition should contribute more than criticism.
For India, the real opportunity is clear: make BRICS work for Indian interests without allowing BRICS to define those interests. That is the balance New Delhi must achieve.
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