'Don't know how many Prez, PMs attending': Chidambaram on BRICS Summit; BJP hits out

A political row has erupted over the BRICS Summit, set to begin Friday evening, with Congress MP P Chidambaram questioning the tangible benefits India has gained from such events, even as the BJP hit out at the opposition party over its approach to diplomacy.An artist gives final touches to paintings of BRICS member countries' leaders in Amritsar on September 10, (AFP)India, BRICS Chair for 2026, will host the 18th summit at Bharat Mandapam till Sunday, on the theme 'Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’.On Wednesday, Chidambaram said India is part of several multilateral groupings, including BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), G20 and QUAD, but questioned what concrete benefits the country has received from them.“I don't know how many Presidents and how many Prime Ministers are coming. I don't think the last two or three BRICS summits have resulted in tangible benefits or tangible results,” he told news agency ANI.“In fact, we are part of BRICS, we are part of SCO, we are part of G20, and we are part of QUAD. What benefits are we getting out of that? I can't see. In the last two or three summits, I didn't see any benefits. Earlier, the BRICS Summits resulted in some tangible benefits,” he added.The BJP was quick to hit back. Senior party leader Nalin Kohli raised questions on the Congress’ diplomacy."This raises questions on how Congress views diplomacy. The Congress during its tenure called Pakistan a victim of terror while it is a perpetrator of terrorism," he was quoted as saying by NDTV."Does Congress see diplomacy purely in terms of give and take that it is asking about tangible benefits," he added.He also accused the Congress of trying to play politics over a big and important event.India is a founding member of BRICS and has previously held the chairship in 2012, 2016 and 2021. The country assumed its fourth BRICS chairship on January 1, coinciding with the grouping completing 20 years since its establishment.The summit this weekend is expected to deliberate extensively on a number of pressing global challenges, including the economic consequences of the West Asia crisis.