As India prepares to host the 18th BRICS Summit, the grouping is at the centre of a fresh political debate at home.Congress leader P. Chidambaram has questioned the tangible gains India has secured through BRICS and other major global platforms, drawing a sharp backlash from the BJP. The debate comes as supporters point to India’s expanding economic footprint and growing trade with BRICS nations.The Shiv Sena has also questioned the scale of preparations, asking why the summit requires extensive traffic advisories, giant banners and posters when similar global events abroad are held without such fanfare.Amid the political sparring, Jim O’Neill — the economist who coined the term “BRIC” in 2001 — speaks exclusively to News18 about how the grouping has evolved, India’s economic journey, whether BRICS has moved beyond its original economic idea, and whether Donald Trump’s policies have inadvertently made the bloc more relevant.What has India really gained from BRICS? And how powerful can the grouping become? n18oc_indian18oc_politics
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