Ravi Shastri's BRICS Praise Draws Pawan Khera's Response

Ravi Shastri's comments about the BRICS summit have prompted a political exchange, bringing the former India cricketer into a discussion about diplomacy and its history. Shastri praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera challenged the suggestion that such a gathering had no precedent.

What Shastri said

Navbharat Times reported on September 13 that Shastri shared an image of Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping planting a sapling. His accompanying post expressed pride and admiration for Modi's diplomacy.

The report presents those comments as Shastri's personal reaction to the leaders appearing together. Praise from a public figure is an opinion about the moment; it does not, by itself, establish the outcomes of the summit's negotiations.

Why Khera brought up 2012

In a PTI report published by Jagran on September 14, Khera responded by recalling the March 29, 2012 summit hosted under then-prime minister Manmohan Singh. He referred to the presence of China's Hu Jintao and Russia's Dmitry Medvedev alongside Singh.

Khera's response disputed the novelty implied by Shastri's praise. The two statements therefore make different arguments: one celebrates the present gathering, while the other draws attention to an earlier instance of Indian, Chinese and Russian leaders meeting in New Delhi.

The historical record

The Prime Minister's Office archive of the 2012 Delhi Declaration records that the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa met in New Delhi on March 29 for the fourth BRICS summit.

That record supplies context for the historical comparison. It does not settle competing political assessments of either government's diplomacy. Readers following the exchange can distinguish the verifiable date and participants from the praise and criticism offered by the two speakers.