New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday launched a sharp attack on senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram over his questioning of the benefits India gains from the BRICS Summit, asking the Congress what it had achieved in the field of diplomacy since Independence.

The BJP’s response came after Chidambaram, in a recent interview, questioned the benefits India derives from the BRICS grouping and said he had not seen any significant outcomes emerging from the recent meetings of the bloc.

Reacting to Chidambaram’s remarks, BJP leader Nalin Kohli said it was surprising that the Congress leader had raised such questions at a time when India was preparing to host an important international event that would bring together several heads of state and government.

“One is surprised to note the statement of Mr Chidambaram and the Congress Party, particularly at a time when India is hosting such an important event, the BRICS Summit, where many heads of state and heads of government will come, and there will be direct meetings also, one-on-one meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and these leaders,” Kohli said.

Questioning the approach adopted by the Congress towards diplomacy, the BJP leader asked whether international engagement should be assessed merely in terms of immediate, transactional gains.

“Is diplomacy to be seen as a transaction like the Congress Party is projecting? What have I done for you? What will you do for me? Kind of an approach. What is the so-called tangible result?” he said.

Kohli then questioned the Congress party’s own diplomatic record from Independence until 2014.

“If we talk of tangible results, we can question what the Congress Party’s entire approach from 1947 right up to 2014 was on diplomacy, including Sharm El Sheikh and peer projecting Pakistan as literally a victim of terror when it is the perpetrator of terror,” he stated.

The Sharm El-Sheikh Joint Statement was a bilateral document issued by India and Pakistan on July 16, 2009, following a meeting between then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani during the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Egypt.

The BJP leader also accused Congress leaders of engaging in political outreach in Pakistan that, according to him, raised questions about the party’s own position on diplomacy and relations with the neighbouring country.

“The Congress Party’s leaders go to Pakistan and say, ‘Inko hataiye, humko laiye (remove them, bring us)’. So, the Congress Party certainly raises questions on itself when it asks and points out the so-called tangible results and questions of the BRICS Summit in Delhi. The Congress Party has much to answer,” Kohli added.

Taking a further dig at Chidambaram, the BJP leader said, “Mr Chidambaram’s strange logic: We don’t see any benefit. Tomorrow, if somebody says that they see no benefit from the Congress Party, will the Congress Party then shut down?”

Kohli alleged that Chidambaram’s comments were solely aimed at making a political point against the Modi government rather than the BRICS Summit.

“I think Mr Chidambaram is trying to make a political point when none exists. And this is just another attempt by the Congress Party to somehow criticise anything and everything that Prime Minister Modi’s government does, even when there is no merit or any reason to criticise,” he added.

India is set to host the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, with the meeting expected to bring together leaders and senior representatives of the grouping’s member countries.

India assumed the BRICS Chairship on January 1, 2026, and has outlined ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’ as the theme for its chairship.

BRICS currently comprises 11 major emerging and developing economies — Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, India, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

In addition to the full members, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam participate in the grouping as BRICS Partner Countries.

–IANS

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