New Delhi, March 6 Left leaders on Friday questioned the Centre over the US' announcement of a "waiver" for Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil, terming it a "humiliation" of sovereign India.
CPI leader P Sandosh Kumar in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India's foreign policy appears to have "deviated from its foundational principles of non-alignment".
The Rajya Sabha MP said at a time when the war against Iran by the US and Israel threatens to embroil West Asia into wider and dangerous conflict, many across India are concerned that India's foreign policy posture appears to have deviated from principles of non-alignment, strategic autonomy, and respect for sovereignty.
He said in recent years, India has increasingly been perceived as aligning itself with the interests of the US and Israel rather than firmly pursuing its independent strategic priorities.
"This perception has been reinforced on several occasions, including during the negotiations surrounding the India-US trade arrangements, which left large sections of our farmers vulnerable to imports from the United States, and by repeated claims by US President Donald Trump that he pressured India to reduce purchases of Russian oil, even though a diversified and affordable energy basket clearly serves India's national interest," Kumar said in his letter.
He said the remarks made by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent -- who announced a "30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil" -- are humiliating for a sovereign nation like India.
"Such a statement raises a fundamental question before the nation: since when has the United States begun 'allowing' India to decide from whom we buy energy or with whom we conduct trade?" Kumar said.
"When Iran, one of India's important historical partners and a key source of energy, is under attack and regional stability is under grave threat, this patronising declaration appears to suggest that India's energy choices are now subject to American approval," he said.
Kumar said this situation is "deeply disturbing for our people and represents a grave embarrassment for India's foreign and trade policy".
"India is a proud and independent republic of 140 crore citizens, not a subordinate state expected to adjust its sovereign decisions according to the preferences of Washington. I therefore urge you to raise this matter firmly in the appropriate diplomatic forums and make it unequivocally clear that India's energy security and foreign policy choices will be determined solely by India's national interest," he wrote to the prime minister.
He also demanded a "clear explanation" over the "demeaning public assertions" about India. "The nation expects its leadership to speak with clarity, defend our sovereignty and ensure that India's dignity is not subjected to such public humiliation."
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas too, expressed a similar sentiment.
"Is the US 'granting' India a 30-day waiver to buy stranded Russian oil amid Middle East chaos? Is this 'facilitation' or pure humiliation for a sovereign nation like India?" he wrote on X, asserting that it is time to break free from US diktats on India's energy choices.
Amid escalating conflict with Iran, the US has announced that it is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver on Russian oil purchases.
"President Trump's energy agenda has resulted in oil and gas production reaching the highest levels ever recorded. To enable oil to keep flowing into the global market, the Treasury Department is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil," US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday.
Bessent said this "deliberately short-term measure" will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government, as it only authorises transactions involving oil already stranded at sea.