Op-ed: India's BRICS chairship is a chance to put a divided group back together
BRICS has more than doubled in size. Has it lost the consensus that made it work?
Published 8 September 2026. Written by Pratidin from the reports linked at the end; every fact checked by a separate review before publishing. How we work
In an article in The Hindu, T.S. Tirumurti, a former Indian diplomat who served as India's BRICS Sherpa, argues that BRICS has drifted far from its original purpose of reforming multilateral institutions, and that India's chairship in 2026 is an opportunity to put the group back together. India holds the chair for the fourth time, after 2012, 2016 and 2021, and hosts the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on 12 and 13 September 2026. The theme of its chairship is 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'. BRICS has grown from five members, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, to eleven, with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE joining in 2024 and Indonesia in 2025. Saudi Arabia is listed as a member, though it has not formally confirmed. The group also has ten partner countries.
The article argues that China has steered BRICS away from institutional reform and towards serving as a counterpoise to Western dominance, using expansion and outreach to amplify its own global position. Documents issued without consensus are becoming more frequent, the author warns, and the bilateral disputes that new members have brought in could paralyse BRICS the way disputes weakened SAARC (the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation). The original five have serious differences too, he writes, but they know how to manage them. At the core is a clash of visions: India wants BRICS to be a 'non-West' platform, a coalition of emerging economies pursuing their own interests, while some members want it to be 'anti-West'.
The article's prescription is to restore strict consensus as the working rule, stop bilateral disputes from paralysing the group as they did SAARC, and return to its founding idea of reformed multilateralism, meaning reform of bodies such as the UN Security Council, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. On money, the preferred route is to link national payment systems and central bank digital currencies, rather than create a common BRICS currency that members fear could be dominated by the Chinese renminbi. BRICS does have concrete reform results, notably the New Development Bank, which India proposed at the 2012 New Delhi summit, and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement, both agreed at Fortaleza in 2014. Sceptics reply that the group's diversity, China's economic weight (India's merchandise trade deficit with China was $99.2 billion in 2024-25), and its lack of a charter or permanent secretariat limit what any chair can achieve.
Prelims facts
- India chairs BRICS in 2026 for the fourth time, after 2012, 2016 and 2021, and hosts the 18th summit in New Delhi.
- BRICS now counts eleven members and ten partner countries; Indonesia joined as a full member in January 2025.
- The first BRIC summit was held at Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009; South Africa joined in December 2010.
- The New Development Bank, headquartered in Shanghai, was agreed at the Fortaleza summit in 2014; its first president was K.V. Kamath of India.
- BRICS works by consensus and has no founding charter or permanent secretariat.
Quick recall
- Who wrote 'India's opportunity to put BRICS back together' in The Hindu on 8 September 2026?
- T.S. Tirumurti, a former Indian diplomat who served as India's BRICS Sherpa.
- Where and when is the 18th BRICS Summit held?
- New Delhi, 12 and 13 September 2026.
- Theme of India's 2026 BRICS chairship
- Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.
- Years in which India has held the BRICS chair
- 2012, 2016, 2021 and 2026.
- Where was the first BRIC summit held?
- Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009.
- Headquarters and first president of the New Development Bank
- Shanghai; K.V. Kamath of India.
- Size of the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement
- $100 billion.
- When did Indonesia become a full member of BRICS?
- January 2025.
Prelims practice question
Which one of the following countries is a partner country, and not a full member, of BRICS?
- Ethiopia
- Indonesia
- Egypt
- Malaysia
Show answer
Answer: (d) Malaysia. Malaysia is one of the ten BRICS partner countries. Egypt and Ethiopia became full members in January 2024, and Indonesia became a full member in January 2025.
Use this in UPSC Mains: previous-year questions
Recurring theme: BRICS, its expansion and India's interests in reforming global governance
- How to use this
Use the op-ed to assess whether BRICS is an alternative voice for emerging economies or drifting into an anti-West bloc, and what India's 2026 chairship seeks.
- BRICS has grown from five to eleven members, with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE joining in 2024 and Indonesia in 2025, plus ten partner countries.
- Former Sherpa T.S. Tirumurti argues China has steered BRICS from institutional reform towards a counterpoise to the West, and India wants a 'non-West', not 'anti-West', platform.
- Concrete results include the New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement (Fortaleza, 2014); sceptics say the lack of a charter or permanent secretariat limits BRICS.
- How to use this
For the NDB half of the answer, cover its origin, India's role and its significance as a reform-minded alternative source of development finance.
- The New Development Bank was proposed by India at the 2012 New Delhi summit and agreed at Fortaleza in 2014 alongside the Contingent Reserve Arrangement.
- The NDB is headquartered in Shanghai, its first president was K.V. Kamath of India, and India is a major borrower from it.
- The op-ed cites the NDB as BRICS's main concrete reform result, in line with its founding idea of reforming bodies such as the IMF and World Bank.
Indonesia's full membership in January 2025 and the sequence of BRICS summits leading to India's 18th summit in 2026 are exactly what this Prelims question tests.
The first BRIC summit was at Yekaterinburg in 2009, not Rio, and South Africa was no longer the last to join after the 2024 and 2025 expansion.
Mains practice question
The expansion of BRICS has widened its reach but weakened its cohesion. How should India use its 2026 chairship to restore the group's purpose? (250 words)
Model answer
BRICS began as a platform for emerging economies to reform global governance. With membership doubling to eleven, a former Indian BRICS Sherpa argues that it has drifted, and that India's 2026 chairship is a chance to repair it.
Why cohesion has weakened
- New members have brought bilateral and regional rivalries into the group.
- Documents without consensus are becoming more frequent.
- China's economic weight (India's trade deficit with it was $99.2 billion in 2024-25) lets it shape the agenda, pulling BRICS towards an anti-West posture.
- The group has no charter or permanent secretariat to enforce commitments.
What BRICS still offers India
- A voice for reformed multilateralism: UN Security Council, IMF and World Bank reform.
- Development finance through the New Development Bank, where India is a major borrower.
- A platform for strategic autonomy alongside the G20, Quad and SCO.
An agenda for the chairship
- Restore strict consensus and keep bilateral disputes off the table.
- Prefer interoperable payment links and central bank digital currencies to a common currency.
- Deliver people-centred projects in health, digital public infrastructure and climate finance.
- Build issue-based coalitions with Brazil and South Africa on institutional reform.
- Keep BRICS 'non-West' rather than 'anti-West', matching the chairship theme of resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.
India's interest lies in a BRICS that reforms the global order from within, not one that becomes a vehicle for any single member's rivalry with the West.
The basics
Why this matters
BRICS is one of the groupings through which India practises strategic autonomy: working with Russia and China on global governance while partnering the West on security and technology. As India chairs the group in 2026, a question UPSC can ask in both Prelims and Mains is whether a bigger BRICS is a stronger one.
From an acronym to a grouping
The term BRIC was coined in 2001 by Jim O'Neill, a Goldman Sachs economist, for four fast-growing economies. The countries turned it into a diplomatic forum.
- 2001Economist Jim O'Neill coins the term BRIC
- 2006First BRIC foreign ministers' meeting, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly
- 2009First BRIC summit at Yekaterinburg, Russia
- 2010South Africa joins, making BRICS
- 2014Fortaleza summit agrees on the New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement
- 2024 to 2025Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Indonesia join; Saudi Arabia is listed as a member
- 2026India chairs for the fourth time and hosts the 18th summit
What BRICS has built
Its most concrete achievement is the New Development Bank, a development bank run by the member countries themselves, alongside a Contingent Reserve Arrangement of $100 billion for members facing balance of payments stress.
- 1Annual summitLeaders meet; the chair rotates among members
- 2SherpasSenior officials who negotiate the summit agenda and declarations
- 3New Development BankLends for infrastructure and sustainable development; headquartered in Shanghai
- 4Contingent Reserve ArrangementA $100 billion pool of currency support for members in balance of payments difficulty
Why expansion strains the group
BRICS expansion has brought in countries with rivalries among themselves. BRICS decides by consensus and has no charter or secretariat, so disputes can block agreement. The op-ed's warning is that BRICS could go the way of SAARC.
- A coalition of emerging economies pursuing their own interests
- Works to reform existing institutions
- Compatible with partnerships with the West
- A counterweight to Western power
- Builds parallel institutions and currencies
- Makes the group a tool of great-power rivalry
India's aim
India's stated goal is Reformed multilateralism: changing global institutions from within, not replacing them.
Go deeper
In one line: A former Indian BRICS Sherpa argues that BRICS has drifted into rivalry and lost its habit of consensus, and that India's 2026 chairship should restore its original purpose of reforming global institutions.
Why it matters for UPSC
BRICS appears in Prelims almost every few years (2014, 2016, 2025) and in Mains (2014, 2026). India's chairship and the 18th summit in New Delhi make it one of the most examinable groupings this year. The op-ed gives a ready framework for a critical answer.
The core idea
BRICS was meant to push reform of the global order. Its main institutional success is the New Development Bank. BRICS expansion has doubled its size but brought new rivalries into a group that works only by consensus. The author warns that BRICS could be paralysed like SAARC. India's answer is to anchor the group to Reformed multilateralism and keep it non-West rather than anti-West.
Numbers and dates to remember
- 18th BRICS Summit: New Delhi, 12 and 13 September 2026
- India's chairships: 2012, 2016, 2021, 2026
- Members: 11; partner countries: 10
- First BRIC summit: Yekaterinburg, 2009; South Africa joined 2010
- New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement ($100 billion) agreed at Fortaleza, 2014
- India's merchandise trade deficit with China: $99.2 billion in 2024-25
Where to go next
- New Development Bank: the bank BRICS built
- BRICS expansion: how and why the group grew
- SAARC: the cautionary tale
- Reformed multilateralism: India's organising idea
Go deeper: is a bigger BRICS a better BRICS for India?
The optimistic view is that expansion has given BRICS weight. Its members span West Asia, Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia and include major energy producers. For India, a larger BRICS is a bigger stage for Global South leadership and a source of partners on energy, critical minerals and digital public infrastructure. The New Development Bank, in which India is a major borrower, shows that BRICS can build real institutions.
The op-ed's view is more worried. BRICS expansion brought in members with rivalries among themselves, and China has used the group to amplify its own global position as a counterweight to the West. Since BRICS works only by consensus, the result is more documents issued without agreement. The comparison with SAARC is pointed: that grouping has been unable to hold a summit since 2014 because of the India-Pakistan dispute.
The core disagreement is about identity. India wants a non-West BRICS: a coalition that pursues its members' interests and reforms existing institutions, consistent with India's ties with the United States, Europe, Japan and the Quad. Russia, under Western sanctions, and China, in rivalry with the United States, have reasons to prefer an anti-West posture. Proposals for a common BRICS currency are a test case; India and other members are wary that such a currency would be dominated by the renminbi, and prefer linking national payment systems.
India's organising idea is Reformed multilateralism. The op-ed's advice, to restore consensus, stop bilateral quarrels from paralysing the group, and return to reforming existing institutions, is a way of keeping BRICS useful to India without letting it become a vehicle for others' rivalries. Sceptics would add that as long as China's economy dwarfs every other member's, and India runs a $99.2 billion trade deficit with it, BRICS will reflect that imbalance.
New Development Bank
The bank BRICS built
In one line: The New Development Bank (NDB) is a multilateral development bank set up by the BRICS countries to fund infrastructure and sustainable development.
Origin
India proposed a BRICS development bank at the New Delhi summit in 2012. The agreement to establish it was signed at the Fortaleza summit in Brazil in 2014, along with the Contingent Reserve Arrangement of $100 billion. The NDB is headquartered in Shanghai, and its first president was K.V. Kamath of India. It has regional offices, including one at GIFT City in Gujarat.
Why it matters
Each founding member has an equal share and no veto, unlike the IMF and World Bank where voting power is weighted by shares. India has been one of its largest borrowers, including for metro rail projects.
Where to go next
BRICS expansion
How and why the group grew
In one line: BRICS expanded from five members to eleven in 2024 and 2025 and created a category of partner countries.
Who joined
At the Johannesburg summit in 2023, six countries were invited. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE joined in January 2024. Saudi Arabia is listed as a member but has not formally confirmed, and Argentina declined. Indonesia joined in January 2025. The group also has ten partner countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Nigeria.
Why it matters
Expansion adds economic and energy weight, but also rivalries among members, which makes consensus harder. Critics see it as driven by China's wish to build a counterweight to the West.
Where to go next
SAARC
The cautionary tale
In one line: The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a regional grouping that has been largely stalled by disputes between its members.
Basics
SAARC was founded in Dhaka on 8 December 1985. It has eight members: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Its secretariat is in Kathmandu, and it decides by consensus.
Why it stalled
The last SAARC summit was held in Kathmandu in 2014. The 2016 summit in Islamabad was called off after India and several other members pulled out following the Uri terror attack. Since then, India has focused on groupings such as BIMSTEC.
Why it is in the news
The op-ed warns that bilateral disputes could paralyse BRICS as they have paralysed SAARC.
Where to go next
Reformed multilateralism
India's organising idea
In one line: Reformed multilateralism is India's call to update global institutions so that they reflect today's world rather than that of 1945.
What it means
India argues that bodies such as the UN Security Council, the IMF and the World Bank give too little voice to developing countries. It seeks permanent membership of the Security Council, working with Brazil, Germany and Japan in the G4, and a greater say for emerging economies in the Bretton Woods institutions.
Why BRICS fits
BRICS was founded to press for such reforms, and the New Development Bank was a practical example of building a fairer institution. The op-ed argues that BRICS should return to this reform agenda rather than build parallel structures.
Where to go next
Take the 8 September 2026 quiz: 30 Prelims-style questions with answers