New Delhi, September 12, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Congress leader Rashid Alvi on Saturday questioned the significance of the ongoing BRICS Summit in New Delhi, describing the event as “nothing more than a spectacle” and expressing doubts over the tangible benefits it would deliver for India.
Alvi’s remarks came amid a wider debate within the Congress over the relevance and outcomes of BRICS. Senior party leader and former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had recently questioned the economic and strategic gains India had derived from the grouping, saying he had not seen significant outcomes emerging from its recent meetings.
Speaking to IANS, Alvi questioned the expenditure involved in hosting the summit and the scale of security arrangements.
“Over two thousand police personnel and the Border Security Force have been deployed for security. Is this event significant enough to warrant such a massive expenditure of India’s funds? And what will be the outcome of BRICS?” he asked.
Alvi said he did not expect the summit to produce any outcome that would benefit India, pointing out that the BRICS summit is held annually and that Russia is scheduled to host the next edition.
He also played down the significance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bilateral meetings with visiting leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“It’s not as if he is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin or other Heads of State for the first time. This is a spectacle and nothing more than that,” Alvi said.
His assessment differs from that of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who has defended the relevance of BRICS, describing it as an important platform for the Global South and an opportunity to demonstrate India’s diplomatic convening power.
Responding to Tharoor’s position, Alvi said every leader was entitled to their own assessment but maintained that he did not believe India would gain from BRICS.
Alvi also questioned whether the summit would take a strong position against the US or Israel over the ongoing conflict in West Asia. He asked whether India, as the BRICS chair, would push for a resolution specifically against the two countries.
He argued that any final declaration calling only for avoiding war and promoting peace, without addressing specific actors or issues, would lack substantive impact.
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