New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (September 12) posted a photograph on Instagram from the first day of the BRICS summit, showing him with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. In it, Modi has put himself between Putin and Xi, smiling and physically holding hands with both, projecting India and himself as being at ease at the centre of the BRICS power triangle.Yet, in his opening remarks at the summit, Modi carefully positioned BRICS as an inclusive grouping rather than an anti-US or anti-Western bloc. “We strive to move ahead with an approach that is not against anyone but instead seeks to take everyone along,” he said, adding that BRICS had established a distinct identity over its first 20 years by respecting different perspectives and moving forward through consensus.These remarks come against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s sharp criticism of BRICS after last year’s summit, when he had accused the grouping of pursuing anti-American policies. “Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy,” Trump had said on July 7, 2025.Two weeks later, Trump had again said, in the context of the penal tariff on India, “You know, they have BRICS, which is basically a group of countries that are anti the United States, and India is a member of that, if you can believe it. It’s an attack on the dollar, and we’re not going to let anybody attack the dollar.”Modi, BRICS and UNSCWhile Modi projected BRICS as non-confrontational in his Saturday speech, he also argued for reshaping the grouping as well as other multilateral institutions, proposing that a 10-point “BRICS Reform Roadmap” be drawn up by next year’s summit and calling for text-based negotiations on Security Council reform as well.Opening the 18th BRICS summit’s session on “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism”, Modi said the proposed 10-point roadmap should focus on representation, responsiveness and rule-making. He argued that while the Global South was “at the forefront of global crises”, it was “at the back row” of decision-making.The reform of the UNSC and other multinational institutions has been a recurring theme in Modi’s speeches at the bloc’s summits. In Johannesburg in 2023, he called for “defined timelines” for reform of the Security Council. A year later, at the 2024 summit in Kazan, he urged BRICS to move forward in a “time bound manner” on reforms of the Security Council, multilateral development banks and the World Trade Organisation.Last year in Rio de Janeiro, he broadened the argument, calling for changes to “governance structures, voting rights and leadership positions” in global institutions.This year, Modi also proposed that BRICS itself work towards a structured reform agenda. He said the 10 proposals could be developed into a “BRICS Reform Roadmap” by the next summit, with the aim of translating the grouping’s consensus into concrete outcomes on the global stage.He called for the existing “pyramid of privilege” to be transformed into a “platform of partnership” where every country has a voice and every member has a stake.The United Nations reform process has been underway since 2008, when the General Assembly began intergovernmental negotiations on equitable representation and an increase in the council’s membership. The negotiations have continued through successive General Assembly sessions without agreement on the council’s future composition.India has long sought a permanent seat on an expanded Security Council. It has pursued the demand with Brazil, Germany and Japan through the G4 grouping and has also supported greater representation for Africa, including the African Union’s Common African Position on Security Council reform.While BRICS has repeatedly backed Security Council reform, it has never endorsed India’s demand for a permanent seat in a reformed Council.Safety at seaModi also proposed a Seafarers Emergency Support Network linking the maritime authorities and missions of the countries concerned. He said it could facilitate distress alerts, medical assistance, communication with families and support for evacuation.The proposal for this network comes at a time when Indian seafarers have been caught up in multiple attacks and conflicts in the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea in recent months, in which at least 10 have died and two are missing. Earlier in August, 13 Indian seafarers aboard an Indian-flagged commercial vessel died when it sank in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen after being hit by a projectile, raising concerns about a third maritime front opening up in which Indian seafarers face danger.Modi also proposed changes to the way BRICS itself functions. With the chairship of BRICS changing every year, Modi said the grouping needed to prevent changes in leadership from interrupting its institutional momentum.“I propose the establishment of a BRICS Continuity and Implementation Mechanism,” he said. He proposed using the troika – the current BRICS chair, the previous chair and the incoming chair –to ensure systematic follow-up on initiatives and outcomes. He suggested creating a secure digital repository in which “for every decision, the nodal point, timeline and implementation status can be recorded”.Day one ends with galaThe first day of the summit ended with a gala dinner hosted by Modi for the BRICS leaders at the main venue, Bharat Mandapam, with an elaborate menu on the table, including khandvi mille-feuille, mushroom galouti kebabs, Himalayan morels, millet pulao and Old Delhi fruit cream with jalebi. Dessert included shahi-style phirni with mulberries and gold leaf.Apart from the vegetarian fare, the evening included a cultural performance, ‘Navarasa: The Universe of Shared Emotions’, bringing together musicians from BRICS countries with Indian classical dance traditions. The overall ensemble was of around 160 artists, with Indian dancers and musicians forming the core, performing a new symphonic poem, ‘BRICS: A Commonwealth of Cultures’.