CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Delhi: Just ahead of India’s hosting of the BRICS summit, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram has raised the question of how many concrete and direct benefits India has actually gained from recent BRICS meetings. He has said he has not seen any significant outcome from the last two or three summits. The Bharatiya Janata Party has reacted sharply to the statement, questioning the idea of viewing foreign policy only through a transactional lens.
This dispute should not remain confined to political statements between the ruling party and the opposition. In fact, Chidambaram’s question can open an important policy debate – on what basis should India’s membership and active participation in any international organisation be assessed? Should only immediate economic gains be treated as the measure of success, or should strategic, diplomatic and long-term benefits also be included?
1. BRICS is not important only for economic reasons
BRICS is no longer only a grouping of five countries. It has expanded and now includes important emerging economies from Asia, Africa, West Asia and other regions. For India, this platform offers an opportunity to deepen dialogue with countries of the Global South and strengthen the call for reform in global institutions.
Therefore, it would not be appropriate to measure BRICS only by a list of trade deals. Diplomatic dialogue, communication in times of crisis, strategic cooperation and influence in global decision-making can also be important outcomes.
2. But the question of concrete results is also necessary
Long-term gains are important in foreign policy, but that does not mean the government should not be questioned about outcomes. If India is playing an active role in a multilateral platform, the public has the right to know how it has benefited the country’s economic and strategic interests.
How many new markets have Indian exporters gained from BRICS? How much investment has come in? How much has technological cooperation increased? What improvement has there been in energy security? To what extent have cross-border payments been made easier? Clear answers to such questions are necessary.
3. The Delhi summit is a major opportunity for India
India is hosting the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, 2026. India holds the BRICS presidency this year, and the summit is expected to discuss issues such as global governance, trade, investment, food and energy security, technology and international conflicts.
Therefore, this summit is not only an opportunity to host. It is also a chance for India to show the direction in which it wants to take BRICS as a platform that delivers practical results.
4. Turning BRICS into an anti-West platform is not in India’s interest
One of the major strengths of India’s foreign policy has been its strategic autonomy. India strengthens its relations with the United States and Europe, while also maintaining ties with Russia, China, West Asia, Africa and Latin America according to its interests.
For India, therefore, it would not be appropriate to turn BRICS into an anti-West political alliance. India’s interest lies in BRICS becoming a strong platform for economic and development cooperation, while India maintains its independent foreign policy.
5. Both cooperation and competition with China
China has a major role in BRICS, and India-China relations contain possibilities of cooperation alongside competition. In such a situation, the challenge before India is to keep dialogue with China open within BRICS while protecting its national interests.
India will have to move carefully, especially on trade imbalance, technology security and financial systems.
6. India’s digital payments initiative is important
India is taking an initiative to link central bank digital currencies and digital payment systems among BRICS countries. The objective is to make cross-border payments faster and easier. If this system takes practical shape, the cost of trade and money transfers could come down.
But there are also technical, financial and political obstacles before it. Therefore, instead of limiting this initiative to an announcement, it will have to be implemented in a phased and secure manner.
7. Indian exporters should receive real benefits
The expansion of BRICS can open large markets for Indian business. But Indian industry will not benefit merely because the number of member countries increases. Real success will come when market access becomes easier for Indian companies, trade barriers decline and exports rise.
Export organisations have also stressed the need to secure measurable outcomes from BRICS in trade, investment, technology, supply chains and payment systems.
8. Energy security needs attention
In the current global situation, energy security is a major priority for India. BRICS includes both oil and gas producers and consumers.
India should use this platform for discussions on long-term energy cooperation, stable supply and alternative energy sources. If BRICS can develop practical cooperation in the energy sector, member economies could benefit directly.
9. Investment and technology must be brought to the centre
The future of BRICS lies not only in political declarations but also in investment and technological partnerships. India should emphasise greater cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, green technology, health, agricultural technology, semiconductors, digital infrastructure and clean energy.
Partnerships in such sectors can provide more durable benefits for employment and economic growth.
10. Opposition questions should not be reduced to political taunts
Chidambaram’s question has come in a political context, but it would not be appropriate to dismiss it merely as a political attack. In a democracy, the opposition has the right to demand answers from the government on foreign policy.
If the government believes India has gained significant benefits from BRICS, it should place those achievements, with data, before the public. This would encourage a fact-based debate instead of political accusations and counter-accusations.
11. The opposition’s responsibility is no less
On the other hand, the opposition also should not confine itself only to asking what India has gained. It should also say what its alternative strategy on BRICS is.
Should India be more active in it? Should its priorities change? Should there be greater emphasis on economic cooperation? Answers to such questions would make the opposition’s criticism more serious and constructive.
12. Foreign policy cannot be judged by political slogans
“Angry uncle” and other political jibes may generate discussion in political discourse and on social media, but the success of foreign policy cannot be decided by such slogans. The exchange of political words between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and P. Chidambaram is a separate matter, but the discussion on an institution such as BRICS must be taken beyond that.
India’s foreign policy should be evaluated on concrete grounds such as trade, investment, security, energy, technology and diplomatic influence.
13. BRICS’ internal unity is also a challenge
The expansion of BRICS is both its strength and its challenge. The political priorities and strategic interests of different countries are different. The continuing conflict in West Asia has made these differences more complex. India will have to play the difficult role of building consensus within the grouping in such an environment.
It will be important for India that BRICS does not become a platform dominated by any one country and that practical cooperation among different member countries continues.
14. The measure of success should be clear
After the New Delhi summit, it should be clear which outcomes India will regard as its priority achievements. For example, indicators such as growth in Indian exports, new investment agreements, progress in digital payments, energy cooperation, technological partnerships and improvements in supply chains can be set.
This would allow the usefulness of BRICS to be assessed on the basis of real outcomes rather than political claims.
Conclusion
BRICS is neither a magical solution for India nor a platform that should be considered insignificant merely because no major immediate agreement is visible. Its real utility lies in how much economic, technological and diplomatic benefit India can secure from this platform while maintaining its strategic autonomy.
P. Chidambaram’s question is important because it starts a debate on outcomes. The government’s responsibility is to present achievements with facts and figures. The opposition’s responsibility is to offer an alternative direction along with criticism.
The success of the BRICS summit will not be determined by big speeches or political slogans, but by the concrete results that strengthen India’s economy, trade, technology, energy security and global influence. This is the test on which India’s BRICS policy should be judged.
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