BRICS Family Photo: Modi, Putin and Xi Jinping Share Centre Stage in Powerful Global Signal

New Delhi: A picture emerging from the Bharat Mandapam on the 2nd day of the ongoing 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi has attracted a lot of attention. In the family photo of BRICS leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen standing in the middle, while on one side of him were Russian President Vladimir Putin and on the other side were China's President Xi Jinping. As soon as the picture came out, discussion started about it. The reason is not only the presence of the three leaders but also their appearance in the same frame.

Who was seen with Modi in the family photo?

Leaders and representatives of BRICS member countries came together for a family photo at the Bharat Mandapam on Sunday. Prime Minister Modi was in the center of the photo and Putin and Jinping were standing on either side of him. This picture of the 11-member BRICS group has come to light at a time when many issues related to global politics, economy and multilateral cooperation are being discussed in the conference organised in New Delhi.

Why is the trio of Modi-Putin-Jinping in discussion?

India, Russia and China are major members of BRICS and have their own influence in global politics. In such a situation, seeing the three leaders together in the same picture naturally became a topic of discussion. However, it would be premature to assume any specific strategic message or announcement of a new axis based on the positions of the leaders in the photo alone. India's foreign policy has long emphasised balancing its relations with different powers.

Does the picture also show India's diplomatic role?

One aspect of this picture is also related to India's hosting. This year India holds the presidency of BRICS and the 18th summit is being held in New Delhi on 12 and 13 September. India has made resilience, innovation, cooperation and stability the main basis of its presidency. BRICS currently includes 11 countries and the global economic and political influence of the group has continuously increased.

What message did Modi give on the second day of the summit?

After the family photo, Prime Minister Modi talked about the achievements and future priorities of BRICS. He said efforts under India's chairmanship remained focused on four pillars, vigilance, innovation, cooperation and stability. Modi said that in the present times the world is going through many types of tensions and crises, which have a direct impact on the lives of common people.

What initiatives did BRICS take to deal with the crisis?

Referring to the pandemic, climate disaster and disruptions in the supply chain, Modi said that in today's interconnected world, a crisis in one part can reach other areas as well. Under this thinking, an integrated early warning system has been agreed upon in BRICS to prevent and deal with infectious diseases. There was also talk of preparing Early Warning Data Integration Guidelines for disaster management.

Does the picture of Modi, Putin and Jinping give any big hint?

There are bound to be political and diplomatic discussions regarding the picture, but its most direct message is that India, Russia and China are sitting together and talking on a platform like BRICS. The special thing is that there has been tension in the relations between India and China in the last few years, whereas India has old and strong relations with Russia.

In such an environment, it is important diplomatically for the three leaders to be seen together. In the recent meeting between Modi and Jinping, both the countries talked about trade, contacts and taking forward bilateral relations.