“How much public will benefit remains to be seen”: UP Congress President Ajay Rai on BRICS Summit

Sitapur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 13 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai on Sunday questioned the benefits of the BRICS Summit for the common people, saying the extent to which the high-profile event would benefit citizens and the country would become clear only with time.
Speaking to ANI, Rai said, “The central government organises grand events—we still have to see how much the public and the nation actually benefit from them. While a vast number of people have gathered here, the extent of the benefit for the country's citizens remains to be seen; that will become clear in the future."
His comments come after the New Delhi Declaration 2026, adopted unanimously at the 18th BRICS Summit in the national capital, has placed strong emphasis on strengthening cultural and people-to-people cooperation among member countries, with the grouping calling for greater exchanges in education, tourism, culture, sports, youth affairs, women-led development and civil society.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced the unanimous adoption of the declaration at the Summit, saying, “No member has raised any objection. The New Delhi Declaration 2026 is adopted unanimously.”
Under the section on “Strengthening Cultural & People-to-People Cooperation”, BRICS countries reaffirmed the importance of people-to-people exchanges and initiatives in enhancing “mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation” among member nations and their peoples.
The declaration welcomed the holding of a range of BRICS engagements, including the Parliamentary Forum, Tourism Ministers’ Meeting, Business Council, Business Forum, Women’s Business Alliance, Youth Council, Youth Summit, Meeting of the Deans of Diplomatic Academies, Think Tank Council, Academic Forum, Civil Council and Civil Forum.
The member countries called for greater efforts to respect cultural diversity, value heritage, innovation and creativity, and jointly promote robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. They also recalled the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution on the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (ANI)