‘Blatant insult’: Congress takes swipe at PM Modi after US official’s ‘permitted India’ remark on Russian oil | India News
New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after a US official questioned his silence Reiterate The US has allowed India to temporarily buy Russian oil. In a post on X, the opposition highlighted the comments of White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt, who called India a “good actor” using the word “permitted”. The Congress asked: “Why is the Government of India not objecting to this brazen affront to our sovereignty and dignity? Instead of defending India’s honour, Prime Minister Modi has conspicuously chosen to remain silent.” The party has sought answers from the BJP-led government, alleging that Prime Minister Modi’s silence amounts to tacit acceptance. “So the country must ask: What is it afraid of? Why is India’s decisions being dictated from outside? Why is Narendra Modi being blackmailed by the US? The people of India deserve answers. Because India’s sovereignty is not negotiable,” the Congress added.Also Read | India once denied pressure to buy Russian oil. So why did it need a US ‘waiver’ now?Levitt said during a media briefing on Tuesday that Washington had “allowed” New Delhi to temporarily buy Russian oil to deal with disruptions in global energy supplies amid the West Asian conflict. He stressed that India was a “good actor” by stopping purchases of previously sanctioned Russian oil and that the measure would not provide significant financial benefits to Russia. “I spoke with the president and the secretary of the treasury, and the national security team made this decision because our allies like India are good actors. As we work to address the temporary global oil supply shortfall caused by the Iranians, we have temporarily allowed India to receive Russian oil,” Levitt told reporters.Also Read | ‘Mind your own business’: Kamal Haasan’s sharp message to Trump on India’s oil policy His comments came amid tensions in the Middle East after Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike on February 28. In retaliation, Iran has targeted both Israeli and American assets in several Gulf countries. Several senior Iranian officials were also killed in the attack. On March 5, US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant announced a 30-day waiver allowing New Delhi to buy Russian crude. Last year, US President Donald Trump imposed a 50% tariff on India along with 25% on Russian oil imports. Washington charged that New Delhi’s purchases were “funding Putin’s war machine” in Ukraine. In February, India and the United States announced a deferred bilateral trade agreement, under which American tariffs on India were reduced to 18%. Later that month, the US Supreme Court, in a majority ruling, struck down Trump’s tariffs, prompting the two countries to postpone further trade talks.
