NEW DELHI: The Congress on Wednesday sharply criticised the government following US President Donald Trump’s repeated assertions that India is “not going to buy much oil from Russia.”Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X, “The PM has finally acknowledged publicly that President Trump called him up and that the two spoke to each other. But all that the PM has said is that the US President extended Diwali greetings. But while Mr. Modi conceals, Mr. Trump reveals.” Ramesh added, “On his part, the US President has said that in addition to extending Diwali greetings, he spoke of India’s oil imports from Russia and that he had been assured that these imports will be stopped. This is the 4th time in 6 days that the US President has announced India’s policy.”The Rajya Sabha MP also recalled that President Trump had first announced the stoppage of Operation Sindoor on May 10, before Prime Minister Modi made any public statement. Trump, speaking from the White House, said, “I love the people of India. We’re working on some great deals between our countries. I spoke to Prime Minister Modi today and we just have a very good relationship. He’s not going to buy much oil from Russia. He wants to see that war end as much as I do. He wants to see the war between Russia and Ukraine to end. They’re not going to be buying too much oil. So they’ve cut it way back, and they’re continuing to cut it way back. ”The Congress has accused the government of “frightened” foreign policy and outsourcing key decisions to the US, suggesting that Modi becomes a “mauni baba” whenever Trump announces developments such as Operation Sindoor or reductions in Russian oil imports. The party has urged the Centre to consult opposition leaders through either an all-party meeting or individual discussions, arguing that the government’s foreign policy has “completely collapsed.”Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during his weekly breifing said that he was not aware of any such assurance given to Trump and reaffirming that India’s energy purchases are guided by the need to protect domestic consumers amid volatile markets.Washington has repeatedly expressed concern that India’s Russian oil imports are indirectly financing the Ukraine war, while bilateral ties have been further strained after the US imposed tariffs of up to 50 per cent on Indian goods, including an additional 25 per cent duty linked to Russian crude imports—measures New Delhi has described as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”
