New Delhi, March 6 Following the US announcement that it was granting a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil, the BJP on Friday hailed the development as a success of "strategic oil diplomacy" under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and said it was a "major embarrassment for anti-India Rahul Gandhi and the Congress".
The BJP also accused the Congress and Gandhi of creating panic by spreading "false news about an oil shortage".
"Rahul Gandhi and the Congress resent India acting with strategic restraint and strategic clarity under Prime Minister Narendra Modi," BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said on X.
Amid escalating tensions with Iran, US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said on Thursday, "President (Donald) Trump's energy agenda has resulted in record-high oil and gas production. To ensure that oil continues to flow into the global market, the Treasury Department is granting a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil."
"India is a crucial partner of the United States, and we fully expect that New Delhi will increase its purchases of US oil. This temporary measure will alleviate the pressure caused by Iran's attempt to control global energy," Besant said on X.
This "deliberately short-term measure" will not provide significant financial benefits to the Russian government, as it only authorizes transactions involving oil already stranded at sea, Besant said.
Reacting to the development, Bhandari said, "A major embarrassment for anti-India Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, who wanted to create panic by spreading false news about an 'oil shortage'!"
"Once again, India's strategic oil diplomacy under PM Narendra Modi succeeds!" the BJP spokesperson added.