BJP national spokesperson Nalin Kohli on Thursday delivered a strong rebuke to senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram in New Delhi, after Chidambaram publicly questioned the tangible benefits India derives from the BRICS Summit. Kohli's comments followed remarks by Chidambaram in a recent interview, where the former Union Minister stated he had not observed any significant outcomes from the bloc's recent meetings.
Kohli expressed surprise at the timing of Chidambaram's critique, noting India's preparations to host the upcoming BRICS Summit. This significant international event will see numerous heads of state and government convene, facilitating direct, one-on-one meetings, including those between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other global leaders, he highlighted.
Challenging the Congress's perspective on international engagement, Kohli questioned whether diplomacy should be reduced to a transactional exchange focused solely on immediate gains. “Is diplomacy to be seen as a transaction like the Congress Party is projecting? What have I done for you? What will you do for me? Kind of an approach. What is the so-called tangible result?” he asked.
Reflecting on historical outcomes, Kohli then questioned the Congress party's entire diplomatic record from India's independence in 1947 up to 2014. He specifically cited the 2009 Sharm El-Sheikh Joint Statement, where India and Pakistan, during the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Egypt, issued a bilateral document. This statement, he alleged, portrayed Pakistan “as literally a victim of terror when it is the perpetrator of terror.”
Kohli additionally accused Congress leaders of engaging in political outreach within Pakistan, making statements like “Inko hataiye, humko laiye” (remove them, bring us). Such actions, he argued, raise serious questions about the Congress party's own stance on diplomacy and its relations with the neighboring country, especially when it questions the BRICS Summit's 'tangible results.'
Dismissing Chidambaram's 'strange logic' that a lack of perceived benefit warrants questioning an entire institution, Kohli concluded that Chidambaram's remarks primarily served a political agenda against the Modi government, rather than offering a genuine assessment of the BRICS grouping.
Image for illustration purposes only
đź“° Source: Mangalorean News