AAP slams government for masking Delhi slums ahead of BRICS summit
The Aam Aadmi Party accused the central government of covering up Delhi’s slums before the 18th BRICS summit, saying the tactic hides reality.
In the run-up to the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party released a cartoon that likens the practice of draping curtains over slums to overstating economic growth. The image shows a “Vision 2047” mirror reflecting a polished Delhi skyline while the surrounding area displays makeshift homes and garbage. The party’s statement warned that such visual masking fails to address the underlying poverty.
The summit, scheduled for September 12-13, will host leaders from the original and newly added BRICS members and includes a closed-door meeting on multilateralism, a visit to the Bharat Innovates Exhibition, and a joint tree-planting ceremony. Past events in the capital have drawn similar criticism for concealing informal settlements from international visitors.
Why it matters
It highlights how political image-management can clash with urban poverty issues during high-profile global events.
How this story developed
- Sep 4 India Hosts 2026 BRICS Leaders Summit with Global Leaders in New Delhi
- Sep 9 A bilateral meeting between Modi and Putin has been added to the summit agenda.
- Sep 9 India is positioning the summit as a development‑oriented bridge and has set aside the idea of a shared BRICS currency.
- Sep 10 India’s chairmanship delivered 20 sector‑specific agreements on SMEs, startups and supply‑chain resilience.
- Sep 10 Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the summit, marking his first visit to India since 2019.
- Sep 10 India deploys roughly 25,000 security personnel and implements traffic diversions ahead of the summit.
- Sep 11 Delhi traffic to be rerouted from 2 pm to 8:30 pm on Friday for the BRICS summit.
- Sep 11 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin rode together in the Russian leader's Aurus limousine from the SCO summit to their bilateral meeting venue in New Delhi.
- Sep 11 Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian touched down in New Delhi for bilateral talks ahead of the summit.
- Sep 11 The two leaders shared a car ride to the INNOPROM India exhibition after their bilateral talks.
- Sep 11 BRICS expanded to eleven member countries.
- Sep 12 The 18th BRICS summit opened in New Delhi with India presiding and leaders including Xi Jinping arriving for the meeting.
- Sep 12 Modi called for immediate UN Security Council reform and urged the Global South to become a rule‑shaper at the summit's opening.
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