New Delhi, March 7 The Congress on Saturday strongly criticized the Modi government over US officials' remarks on India's purchase of Russian oil, accusing it of being "cowardly and compromised."
The opposition party's statement came after the US said it had given "permission" to India to buy Russian oil that was already on ships in waterways, aiming to ease supplies worldwide amid the West Asia conflict.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh stated that US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant has given the Modi government the go-ahead to faithfully follow President Trump's orders.
"Doesn't that say enough about how cowardly and compromised the self-proclaimed 56-inch chest has become?" Ramesh said on X, sharing a video of Besant, in which the US Treasury Secretary says that the US has allowed India to buy Russian oil "to address the temporary shortage of oil globally."
Dismissing the opposition's charges, a senior government official said on Friday that India has never needed permission from any nation to buy Russian oil. While the US sanctions waiver allowing refiners to purchase it removes friction, it does not define the country's policy.
Russian oil continued to flow into India even after the US objected and imposed sanctions, the official said, citing a 2013 adjustment made by the then Congress government in oil imports under US sanctions.
After the US announced a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil, the BJP on Friday hailed this as a success of Prime Minister Modi's strategic oil diplomacy, and called it a "big embarrassment for Rahul Gandhi and the Congress."
In an interview with Fox Business on Friday, Besant said, "The world has ample oil supplies. Yesterday, the Treasury Department agreed to allow our Indian allies to start buying Russian oil that was already on the water."
"The Indians have been very cooperative. We asked them to stop buying sanctioned Russian oil this fall, and they did. They were planning to substitute it with US oil. But to address the temporary oil shortage globally, we have given them permission to accept Russian oil. We may also lift sanctions on other Russian oil," he added.
Besant also stated that there are hundreds of millions of sanctioned barrels of crude oil stored on ships, and by lifting sanctions, the Treasury can create supply.
"We are looking at this. We will continue to announce measures to ease the market during this conflict," he said.
Several other Trump administration officials have also stated that the US has now allowed India to buy Russian oil, months after President Donald Trump imposed a 25% punitive tariff on Delhi for its purchases from Moscow.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a post on X on Friday that the United States is "allowing our Indian friends" to take the Russian oil already on ships in Southern Asia, refine it, and quickly move it to the market to ensure a smooth supply and ease pressure amid the ongoing US-Israel conflict against Iran.
"We have implemented short-term measures to keep oil prices down. We are allowing our Indian friends to take oil that is already on ships, refine it, and quickly move those barrels to the market. This is a practical way to ensure a smooth supply and ease pressure," Wright said.
In an interview with ABC News Live, Wright said that long-term oil supplies are abundant and there are no concerns about this, but in the short term, there is a need to get oil to the market.
"But as oil prices rise slightly due to these constraints coming out of the Strait of Hormuz, we are taking short-term action to address the stored Russian oil around Southern Asia. China is backing up, China does not treat its suppliers well, so there is a lot of stored oil sitting around.
"We have approached our Indian friends and said, 'Buy that oil. Bring it into your refineries.' This will immediately bring stored oil into Indian refineries and relieve pressure on other refineries worldwide to buy oil that they are no longer competing with the Indians for," Wright said.
On Thursday, amid the escalating conflict with Iran, the US had announced a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil.
"President Trump's energy agenda has resulted in oil and gas production reaching record highs. To ensure that oil continues to flow into the global market, the Treasury Department is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil," Besant had said.
Trump had imposed a 25% punitive tariff on India for buying Russian oil, with the administration asserting that Delhi's purchases were fueling Russia's war against Ukraine.
Last month, the US and India announced that they had reached an agreement on an Interim Trade Agreement, and Trump had issued an Executive Order removing the 25% punitive tariff on India, noting New Delhi's commitment to stop importing energy from Moscow and purchasing American energy products.
