Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 11 : BJP MLA Ram Kadam hit out at Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram over his remarks questioning the tangible benefits India has gained from BRICS Summits, alleging that in opposing the BJP, the Congress leader was effectively criticising India.
"In opposing the BJP, they seem to be criticising India itself, which is why they fail to recognise India's achievements at BRICS," Ram Kadam said on Thursday.
Kadam said India's role in global affairs has grown significantly and claimed that countries across the world now view India as a global leader and a potential mediator amid international conflicts and challenges.
"Today, countries around the world recognise India as a global leader and look towards it as a source of hope and a potential mediator amid conflicts and global challenges," he said.
Highlighting India's economic performance, the BJP MLA said the country had continued to perform strongly despite global challenges, including war-like conditions and energy shortages.
"At a time when the world is facing war-like conditions and energy shortages, India has continued to perform strongly, with GDP growth reaching 7.8%, compared with around 3% globally," Kadam said.
He attributed the country's economic progress to the collective efforts of its citizens, the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government's foreign policy.
"This progress is the result of the hard work of 1.4 billion Indians, the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government's foreign policy," he added.
Kadam's remarks came after Chidambaram questioned the outcomes of recent BRICS summits and asked what concrete benefits India had received from its participation in various multilateral groupings.
"I don't think the last two or three BRICS summits have resulted in tangible benefits or tangible results," Chidambaram had told ANI while speaking about the upcoming BRICS Summit 2026 in Delhi.
The Congress leader also pointed to India's membership of BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, G20 and QUAD, questioning the benefits arising from these groupings.
"I didn't see any benefits. Earlier, the BRICS Summits resulted in some tangible benefits," Chidambaram said.
With India assuming the BRICS chairship for the fourth time, its 2026 chairship is being guided by the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability", reflecting a people-centric and humanity-first approach.