New Delhi [India], January 5 : The Congress on Monday intensified its attack on the Narendra Modi-led government, questioning whether India's foreign policy was "now being dictated by the United States," following remarks by US President Donald Trump that New Delhi reduced its oil purchases from Russia to keep him "happy."
The development comes as Trump also threatened higher tariffs and possible sanctions on Indian exports over continued oil imports from Russia.
In a post on X, the Congress cited Trump's statement claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi acted under US pressure regarding Russian oil imports, quoting him as saying, "Modi wanted to make me happy."
https://x.com/INCIndia/status/2008065916685492531?s=20
"Donald Trump says India reduced its oil purchases from Russia because Modi wants to keep him happy. Trump says, "Modi wanted to make me happy. He knew I was not happy, and it was important to make me happy." These are the words of US President Trump. He says India cut back on Russian oil purchases due to US pressure," the Congress wrote.
The party raised a series of pointed questions, asking whether India's foreign policy was now being dictated by US and whether the decision to reduce Russian oil imports was taken to appease Trump.
"PM Modi must answer the following questions. Is India's foreign policy now being dictated by the United States? Was the decision to reduce Russian oil imports taken to appease Trump? Trump has been claiming he brokered a ceasefire and also has threatened India with sanctions for buying Russian oil. Why is Modi silent?" the Congress questioned.
The Congress further asked why the nation should "pay the price" for what it termed the Prime Minister's "weakness," alleging that Modi appeared "intimidated" by Trump.
"Why should the nation pay the price for Modi's weakness? Why does Modi appear so intimidated by Trump? India deserves a clear, robust and independent foreign policy, not silent submission," they wrote.
Adding to the criticism, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that the Prime Minister's "good friend in the White House" continued a "blow hot, blow cold" approach towards India.
In a post on X, Ramesh said Trump had once again threatened higher tariffs on US imports from India if New Delhi did not stop buying oil from Russia.
https://x.com/Jairam_Ramesh/status/2008092997481861598?s=20
"The PM's good friend in the White House continues his 'blow hot, blow cold' approach to India. He has yet again threatened higher tariffs on US imports from India if India did not stop buying oil from Russia. All those Namaste Trump, Howdy Modi events, all those (forced) hugs, and all those social media posts hailing the US President have done very little good," Jairam Ramesh wrote.
This came after the US President Donald Trump has held out a fresh warning to India over raising tariffs if continued imports of Russian oil, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of his displeasure on the issue.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday (local time), Trump said it was important for India to keep him happy on the issue of Russian Oil Imports
"PM Modi's a very good man. He's a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly," Trump said.
The US strike on Venezuela has brought the issue of Oil into the forefront of geopolitics once again. Venezuela has massive oil reserves, which total over 303 billion barrels, making them the world's largest proven reserves. However, production has dwindled to 1 million barrels per day due to US sanctions and underinvestment. Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves (estimated at over 300 billion barrels), which represent roughly 17% of the total global oil supply, according to OPEC data.
Trump's new warning to India comes amid growing scrutiny in Washington over India's energy trade with Russia, even as New Delhi has defended its oil purchases as essential for domestic energy security.
The comments also come just weeks after Trump and Prime Minister Modi held a telephonic conversation, during which both leaders stressed the importance of maintaining momentum in bilateral trade ties despite ongoing tariff-related tensions.
The call coincided with the launch of a fresh round of negotiations between Indian and US officials aimed at resolving the long-standing trade impasse.
Only days before the conversation with Modi, Trump had threatened to impose new tariffs on Indian rice imports. The warning followed complaints raised by a US farmer representative at a White House roundtable, who alleged dumping by India, China and Thailand.