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Congress Hits Back Over BRICS, IMF Criticism

Congress leader Pawan Khera on Friday hit back at BJP while addressing the media in New Delhi, dismissing criticisms surrounding party colleague P Chidambaram’s remarks on the BRICS Summit and calling out the government's shifting stance on economic data from international financial institutions. Responding to queries about former Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s opinions regarding the BRICS Summit, Khera defended internal party discourse and the freedom of expression, stating that every individual maintains the right to voice their perspective on global diplomatic affairs.

"Everybody has a right to his or her opinion and they have a right to express that opinion," said Khera.

Chidambaram Questions Benefits from Summits

Earlier on Wednesday, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram raised questions over the benefits India has gained from recent BRICS meetings, remarking that he had not witnessed any significant outcomes from the last two or three summits. Speaking about the upcoming BRICS Summit 2026 in Delhi, Chidambaram said India is part of several multilateral groupings, including BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), G20 and QUAD, but questioned what concrete benefits the country has received from them.

"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 ANI. "In fact, we are part of BRICS, we are part of SCO, we are part of G20, and we are part of QUAD. What benefits are we getting out of that? I can't see. In the last two or three summits, I didn't see any benefits. Earlier, the BRICS Summits resulted in some tangible benefits," he added.

Khera Accuses BJP of 'Hypocrisy'

Moving to criticise BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad over the ruling party's selective endorsement of international economic reports, Khera called out what he termed political hypocrisy regarding the International Monetary Fund (IMF). "When the IMF does not support your figures, then the IMF becomes some kind of an agent. When the IMF endorses what you are doing, you start celebrating the IMF. So ask Ravi Shankar Prasad to make up his mind," he said.

BJP Touts Economic Praise from IMF

Earlier, attacking the Congress party, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad highlighted the IMF's appreciation of the country's economic trajectory. "...The IMF has appreciated India's growth rate... At this time, the BRICS Summit is taking place in Delhi. Today, the world has come to Delhi. Congress people are saying, what will happen from BRICS?... When you were in power, what did you do to the country?" Prasad said.

The exchange of political barbs comes after the IMF stated that India's real GDP growth of 7.8 per cent in the April-June quarter surpassed expectations, describing the Indian economy as resilient despite global energy price shocks. (ANI)