Union Minister Lalan Singh slammed P Chidambaram’s remarks on the BRICS Summit, invoking ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ and advising him to ‘get treatment’. BJP’s Pradeep Bhandari also attacked Congress, likening their mindset to a ‘Naaraz Fufa’.
Lalan Singh invokes ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’
Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh on Thursday hit back at Congress leader P Chidambaram over his remarks at the BRICS Summit, invoking India’s traditional principle of “Atithi Devo Bhava” and stressing that the country’s culture teaches it to treat guests with respect and dignity.
Speaking to ANI in Delhi, Singh said India follows the principle of “Atithi Devo Bhava” and treats every foreign delegation visiting the country with due respect and honour. “India is hosting the BRICS Summit, and delegations from many countries are coming to participate. Our culture tells us to follow the principle of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’. For us, any guest who comes to our country is like God. We honour them in that manner,” Singh said.
Taking a swipe at Chidambaram, the Union Minister said, “Now, P Chidambaram seems to be bitten by a bug. He should get treatment to find out why the bug keeps biting him.” Singh further questioned the Congress leader’s approach, saying, “You have held such important positions, and even in this, you see politics.”
BJP likens Congress to ‘Naaraz Fufa’
Earlier, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari on Thursday launched a scathing counterattack against senior Congress leader P Chidambaram over his remarks about India hosting the upcoming BRICS Summit, likening the opposition’s mindset to “Naaraz Fufa”.
Speaking to ANI, the BJP leader asserted that the opposition camp is driven by a deep-seated “Fear Of Missing Out” (FOMO) and alleged that the Congress routinely opposes national milestones whenever the country’s global stature rises. He said, “If you observe the Congress today, seeing that the BRICS Summit is taking place in India, they are opposing it just like that ‘Naaraz Fufa’. This is because the Congress knows that whenever the country prospers, whenever it involves boosting India’s pride, the Congress party will always oppose it.”
His remarks came as preparations are underway in the national capital for the BRICS Summit 2026, with civic and infrastructure agencies stepping up arrangements ahead of the gathering.
Chidambaram questions benefits of BRICS
On Wednesday, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram questioned the tangible benefits India has gained from recent BRICS summits, saying he had not seen any significant outcomes from the last two or three meetings.
Speaking about the upcoming BRICS Summit 2026 in Delhi, Chidambaram said India is part of several multilateral groupings, including BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), G20 and QUAD, but questioned what concrete benefits the country has received from them. “I don’t know how many Presidents and how many Prime Ministers are coming. I don’t think the last two or three BRICS summits have resulted in tangible benefits or tangible results,” Chidambaram told ANI.
“In fact, we are part of BRICS, we are part of SCO, we are part of G20, and we are part of QUAD. What benefits are we getting out of that? I can’t see. In the last two or three summits, I didn’t see any benefits. Earlier, the BRICS Summits resulted in some tangible benefits,” he added.
New Delhi is gearing up to host the BRICS Summit for the fourth time. India’s Chairship of the 18th BRICS Summit is guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, deploying a human-centric approach across its core pillars to reinforce institutional strength and support sustainable growth. (ANI)
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