'Congress Exposes Congress': Tharoor Fact-Checks Chidambaram On BRICS Summit, BJP Joins In

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s praise for the BRICS Summit has handed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fresh ammunition against the Grand Old Party, a day after senior leader P Chidambaram questioned what India has actually gained from the grouping.

While Chidambaram raised doubts over the benefits of BRICS on Thursday, Tharoor called India hosting the summit “a matter of huge prestige”, a contrast the BJP has seized on to target the Congress.

“Congress exposes Congress! …Congress MP exposes “Naraz Fufa” of Congress who were opposing BRICS on instructions of Rahul Gandhi!” Pradeep Bhandari, national media co-incharge and national spokesperson of BJP, said on X.

Congress exposes Congress!

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says-" BRICS happening in India is

a matter of huge prestige for Bharat"

Congress MP exposes "Naraz Fufa" of Congress who were opposing BRICS on instructions of Rahul Gandhi! pic.twitter.com/T2LeHvdyGC

— Pradeep Bhandari(प्रदीप भंडारी)🇮🇳 (@pradip103) September 11, 2026

What Tharoor Said

Speaking ahead of the BRICS summit in Delhi, Tharoor called the grouping an important platform for the Global South and stressed the scale of the bloc.

ALSO READ | India’s BRICS Moment: How New Delhi Could Turn Its 2026 Chairship Into Economic Gains

“First of all, we’re providing an important platform for the Global South. You know, the Global South is over 100 countries, but here we have 11 key players from the Global South who collectively represent much of the diversity of views, as well as the range of countries that we are essentially chairing on this particular occasion. This grouping, the 11 BRICS countries, represents a majority of the world’s population and 41 per cent of global GDP,” Tharoor said highlighting the importance of BRICS.

Tharoor also made the case for India’s decision to host the summit, describing the presence of several world leaders in Delhi as a diplomatic asset in itself. “Secondly, of course, having a dozen heads of state and government, not only members of BRICS but also some observers coming at presidential and prime ministerial level, is a matter of great prestige for us. It shows a certain diplomatic convening power, which has value in and of itself on the global stage.”

The remarks come at a time when India is seeking to position itself as a voice for the Global South while simultaneously managing relationships with countries that do not always share New Delhi’s position on major geopolitical questions.

But Tharoor was also clear that BRICS comes with limitations, particularly when its members have sharply divergent positions on global conflicts.

ALSO READ | BRICS Summit 2026: From 2 PM, Delhi Traffic And Flights Face Special Rules – What Commuters Should Know

“Now, that’s not to say there are only benefits; there are challenges, in particular, the fact that it’s difficult to find a convergence of views. For example, on an agreed declaration on global issues.”

Tharoor pointed to the failure of BRICS foreign ministers to agree on a joint statement on the Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine conflict as an example of the problem.

“When the foreign ministers met, we ended up with India as chair issuing a chair’s declaration rather than an agreed joint declaration. Will that happen again? It would perhaps be seen by some as a setback and perhaps even as an indication of the group’s fundamental incoherence, or will we be able to paper over the differences? That’s going to be a real challenge for our diplomats.”

Tharoor also acknowledged a more direct economic concern—India’s trade imbalance with BRICS countries. “Then there are other practical matters. Trade among the BRICS countries has been growing, but in many ways to our disadvantage. Our exports to the BRICS countries have gone down, while our imports from the BRICS countries have gone up,” he said.

Chidambaram’s Critique

On Thursday, Chidambaram had questioned the outcomes of recent BRICS summits and compared the grouping with other multilateral platforms India is part of, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, G20 and QUAD.

“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,” Chidambaram 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.

BJP Hits Back

BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari on Thursday took aim at Chidambaram’s remarks, mocking what he described as the opposition’s “Naraz Fufa” mindset.

Speaking to ANI, the BJP leader accused the opposition of suffering from a deep sense of “Fear Of Missing Out” (FOMO), alleging that the Congress tends to push back against national achievements whenever India’s standing on the global stage grows.

“If you observe the Congress today, seeing that the BRICS Summit is taking place in India, they are opposing it just like that ‘Naraz Fufa’. This is because the Congress knows that whenever the country prospers, whenever it involves boosting India’s pride, the Congress party will always oppose it,” he said.