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BJP Kerala President Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday took a jibe at Congress leader P Chidambaram after the latter questioned whether the recent BRICS meetings have delivered tangible benefits for India.
“With great respect, Mr Chidambaram was, once upon a time, he was a bright man. But somehow, his politics has led him down a path to where he is now, just making statements. He is the man who said digital payments won’t work in this country. He was wrong. He said we should never nuclearise. He was wrong,” Chandrasekhar said at CNN-News18‘s Bharat’s Moment in the Global South event.
Chandrasekhar said Chidambaram has also claimed to be a “dimagi naxal” and presided over the growth of Naxalism in the country. “Today, Naxalism has been finished. He
was wrong again. When a man who is wrong so often is asked a question, I automatically believe he is wrong on this one as well. Why should you give him any credence and authenticity? He will say what he has to say,” he added.
The BJP leader underscored that BRICS was an important event for the future of India as a geopolitical power and to fulfill the vision of Viksit Bharat and benefit the world.
What Did Chidambaram Say About BRICS?
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.
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His remarks were met with criticism from the BJP, which accused him of opposing events that improve India’s global stature. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also pushed back against Chidamabaram’s statement, saying the grouping an important platform for the Global South.
“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,” Tharoor said.
