New Delhi | The Congress on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to help restore diplomatic space and stature the country once commanded by rebuilding confidence among partners in the Global South.

As the BRICS Summit began here, the Congress said India must demonstrate that it remains a credible and constructive partner, even in times of crisis, by taking special measures to address concerns of perceived endorsement of attacks on BRICS member Iran.

The Congress also urged Modi to hold a press conference to apprise the nation of the BRICS Summit outcomes.

In a statement, Salman Khurshid, the head of the Congress Foreign Affairs department, claimed that the BJP government has had a limited diplomatic role in the war in West Asia, and has been unwilling to forge consensus between BRICS members.

"Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated a position that the Indian National Congress has long articulated - that India must be a voice for the Global South - the Congress firmly believes that declarations of solidarity must be complemented by consistent and consequential action.

"In this spirit, PM Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government should endeavour to restore the diplomatic space and stature India has historically commanded," Khurshid said.

"This includes taking special measures to address concerns of perceived endorsement of attacks on BRICS member Iran, the BJP Government's limited diplomatic role during the ongoing war in West Asia (including its unwillingness to forge consensus between BRICS members), and its inadequate support for BRICS founding member South Africa when it faced diplomatic pressures.

"The BJP Government must therefore take deliberate steps to rebuild confidence among partners in the Global South by demonstrating that India remains a credible and constructive partner, even in times of crisis," Khurshid said.

The Congress leader said the BJP government should use the 18th BRICS Summit to exercise statesmanship by forging solidarity among BRICS members without allowing it to get engaged in bloc politics.

He said that India should deepen South-South cooperation and make the function a stabilising forum in a fragmented international system.

The country must work together to address deficiencies in global institutions and to demonstrate that strategic autonomy can coexist with constructive and consequential multilateralism, he said.

"The Indian National Congress believes that India must unequivocally demonstrate that it is strong enough to advance its own interests, while being principled enough to stand with those who seek a fairer world, and be trusted enough to serve as a credible bridge between the Global South and Global North," he said.

Khurshid said that even though BRICS countries account for 19.6 per cent of global merchandise trade, India's trade relationship with the bloc remains deeply imbalanced.

While acknowledging efforts on the BRICS Pay System, the BJP government, the Opposition leader said, should use India's BRICS chairship to advance a mutually beneficial trading relationship, pursuing greater market access for Indian goods and services, addressing non-tariff and other market barriers, while securing fair and predictable conditions for Indian enterprises to compete and expand in BRICS nations.

"Some agreement must be reached on securing supply chains and inclusive connectivity, and efforts must be made to operationalise the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (which was set up in 2014, and to which India has pledged USD 18 billion)," he said.

"Separately, efforts must be made to ensure that the commitments made at the BRICS Summit in 2021 (which India chaired) are tangibly furthered. This includes securing firm support for India's candidacy as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

"We hope the Prime Minister will hold a press conference to apprise the nation on what was discussed and finalised during the BRICS Summit," the Congress leader said.

The former Union minister said that the Congress welcomes the continued evolution and growing significance of BRICS as a platform for shaping global developments, advancing the legitimate aspirations of the Global South, and ensuring fullness of life for all.

In an era of geopolitical fragmentation, economic coercion, supply-chain vulnerabilities, conflict and climate stress, India must work with BRICS partners to forge an equitable and balanced world order, capable of delivering security, prosperity and dignity to all peoples, he noted.

"As former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh consistently did, India must provide moral leadership and strategic clarity to BRICS, while remaining committed to the furtherance of our national interest," he said.

This, Khurshid stressed, means balancing the promotion of a rules-based international order, sovereign equality, peaceful coexistence and human dignity, with India's strategic and economic rise on priority.

Successive governments since 1947 have striven to do this, enabling India to legitimately claim to be the voice of the Global South, he asserted.

India's mediation in the Korean War, principled stances in West Asia, campaigns against apartheid in South Africa, push for decolonisation across the world, and advocacy for reform of global governance institutions are examples of India's moral leadership, Khurshid said.