New Delhi, September 12 (H.S.): The Congress has urged the Central Government to take concrete steps during the 18th BRICS Summit to strengthen India’s diplomatic role and credibility among the countries of the Global South. The party said India should use BRICS as a platform to play an effective role in shaping a more equitable and balanced global order.

Former External Affairs Minister and chairman of the Congress Foreign Affairs Department, Salman Khurshid, said in an official statement that India should demonstrate moral leadership and strategic clarity within BRICS. He said that while advancing its national interests, India must also give priority to the principles of a rules-based international order, sovereign equality, peaceful coexistence and human dignity.

Khurshid said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s repeated assertion that India should become the voice of the Global South must be backed by consistent and effective action. He said the government should take specific steps on issues including India’s alleged position on the attacks on Iran, its limited diplomatic role during the ongoing conflict in West Asia, and its failure to provide adequate support to South Africa at a time when it was facing diplomatic pressure.

The party said that to regain the confidence of its partners in the Global South, the government must demonstrate that India remains a reliable and constructive partner even during times of crisis.

The Congress also stressed the need for greater balance in India’s trade relations with BRICS countries. The party’s Foreign Affairs Department said that BRICS countries account for 19.6 per cent of global merchandise trade, but India’s trade relationship with the grouping remains significantly imbalanced. The government should use India’s BRICS presidency to secure better market access for Indian goods and services, remove non-tariff barriers and create fair and predictable business conditions for Indian companies, it said.

The Congress also called for consensus on securing supply chains and developing an inclusive connectivity framework. The party urged the government to work towards making the Contingent Reserve Arrangement, established in 2014, more effective. The Congress said India has committed USD 18 billion to the arrangement.

The party also called for taking forward the commitments made at the BRICS Summit held under India’s chairmanship in 2021 and securing stronger support for India’s claim to permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council. The Congress expressed hope that Prime Minister Modi would hold a press conference to brief the country on the discussions held and decisions taken at the BRICS Summit.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar