Tharoor: Hosting BRICS a Matter of Great Prestige

Source: Times of India | Original Published At: 2026-09-11 21:45:00 UTC

Key Points

• Shashi Tharoor said hosting BRICS and bringing together heads of state and government is a matter of great prestige.
• His remarks followed Congress leader P Chidambaram's statement that the last two to three BRICS summits had produced no tangible benefits for India.
• Chidambaram suggested that BRICS had previously delivered concrete benefits but had stopped doing so, in comments comparing Congress-led and BJP-led governments.
• Tharoor acknowledged that the last tangible benefit he cited was the launch of the BRICS development bank during the UPA government.
• He said BRICS has often featured lofty rhetoric and grand declarations with fewer measurable outcomes, but described that as common in diplomacy.
• Tharoor argued that the BRICS platform demonstrates India's influence by enabling it to convene meetings of important countries.