Congress Urges Modi to Restore India's Diplomatic Standing at BRICS Summit

As world leaders gathered for the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India's main opposition party issued a sharp challenge to the government: restore the diplomatic stature this country once commanded.

A Call for Credibility

The Congress party urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to take special measures addressing concerns about perceived endorsement of attacks on Iran, a fellow BRICS member. The statement, coming as the summit began, carried particular weight—questioning whether India remains the trusted bridge between Global South and North it has historically been.

Historical Leadership at Stake

Salman Khurshid, head of the Congress Foreign Affairs department, didn't mince words. He pointed to what he called the BJP government's "limited diplomatic role" during the West Asia conflict and its unwillingness to forge consensus among BRICS members. The contrast with India's past diplomatic achievements felt stark.

"Declarations of solidarity must be complemented by consistent and consequential action," Mr. Khurshid said, his words carrying the weight of India's diplomatic legacy.

Concrete Steps Forward

Beyond the criticism lay substantive proposals. The Congress leader called for operationalizing the Contingent Reserve Arrangement—a $100 billion pool to which India pledged $18 billion back in 2014. He urged pursuing greater market access for Indian goods within BRICS, where trade relationships remain "deeply imbalanced" despite the bloc accounting for nearly one-fifth of global merchandise trade.

The statement also pressed for tangible progress on India's permanent UN Security Council membership bid, first supported at the 2021 BRICS Summit India chaired. The request for Modi to hold a press conference summarizing summit outcomes underscored the demand for transparency.

Moral Leadership Remembered

Khurshid invoked India's diplomatic history like a reminder of what's possible—mediation in the Korean War, campaigns against apartheid, advocacy for global governance reform. "Successive governments since 1947 have striven to do this," he noted, framing current concerns within a longer arc of Indian statecraft.

The challenge now, as BRICS evolves amid geopolitical fragmentation, is whether India can reclaim that role as both principled partner and pragmatic leader.