The decision to attend the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg later this month is critical for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the country seeks to position itself as the "leader of Global South", experts have told Sputnik India.
“As a founding member, it was unavoidable for PM Modi to not attend the Summit. It would have sent a signal that India has been practically pulling out of BRICS,” remarked Pravin Sawhney, an Indian strategic affairs expert.
Modi's announcement on Thursday that he would be travelling to South Africa to attend the BRICS Summit this month has put to rest speculation spread by sections of western media that the Indian leader wasn't interested in physically attending the leaders' meeting.
Sawhney stressed that this year’s summit was all the more crucial because of the impending announcement regarding the expansion of the grouping, which is expected to happen at the leaders’ meeting.
The South African presidency of BRICS has said that as many as 50 nations have expressed an interest in joining the grouping, a testament to its growing global influence.
Sawhney reckoned that at least three countries—Argentina, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—could formally join the grouping this month.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said this week that it was “extremely important” for these three countries to join the grouping.
“I don’t see India coming in the way if Russia and South Africa agree to the accession of these three countries to the grouping,” Sawhney stated.
The expert, however, underscored the fact that enrolment of any member would require the “consensus” of all the BRICS nations.
Sahwney said that it was important to have a “fixed criteria” on enrolling new members in the grouping, while commenting on reports of alleged differences between India and China as far as expanding the membership base of the organization was concerned.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has rejected “baseless speculation” reported in sections of western media that New Delhi has “any reservations” on expanding the membership base of the grouping.
"As mandated by our leaders, the BRICS members are internally discussing the guiding principles, the standards, and the criteria for the BRICS expansion process on the basis of full consultation and consensus. As our External Affairs Minister (S Jaishankar) has mentioned, we are approaching this with an open mind and a positive outlook," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told a briefing on Thursday.
India Must Keep its ‘Options Open’, Says Think-Tanker
Seshadri Vasan, the Director General of Indian think tank Chennai Centre of China Studies (C3S), said that it was “important for India to keep its options open” as far as being part of the BRICS grouping is concerned.
“The global order is changing rapidly. At such a critical juncture in geopolitics, Prime Minister Modi couldn’t have afforded to stay away from the BRICS Summit,” Vasan stated.
He emphasized that being part of the BRICS grouping remained critical for Indian interests as New Delhi was emerging as one of the leaders among developing countries.
“The summit would present a chance for Modi to highlight India’s model of growth to the world. It would allow him to speak about New Delhi’s developmental partnerships with other developing countries,” Vasan stated.
He also said that New Delhi’s model of partnering with other developing countries was different from other major powers.
NDB Funds a ‘Major Draw’ for Global South
Vasan said that the BRICS-backed New Development Bank (NDB) was a “major draw” for the developing countries which have expressed an interest in being part of the grouping.
“The NDB is emerging as a major source of funds for various developmental projects in the Global South,” Vasan, an Indian Navy veteran, remarked.
The NDB is widely viewed as an alternative to the western financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) amid a fading trust in western governance architecture in the developing states due to the growing problem of debt distress.
Sawhney also noted that the NDB was witnessing a “widespread interest” from the developing world, which makes the BRICS grouping crucial for Modi as New Delhi seeks a leadership position in the Global South.