New Delhi [India], October 16 : Amid mounting chaos over Donald Trump's "India would stop purchasing oil from Russia" claims, senior Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Thursday took a dig at the centre, saying that decisions made by the Indian government are announced by the US president.
"The decisions made by the Government of India are announced by President Trump in Washington DC. Yahan se tareef, wahan se tariffs," Ramesh, General Secretary incharge of Communication in Congress, told ANI.
He further asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reveal before Parliament the details regarding the US trade deal and why it has not been concluded yet.
"The PM should tell what is the truth behind buying oil from Russia? Why has the US trade deal not been concluded yet? He should take the Parliament into confidence, form a consensus and tell. Our foreign policy has completely failed," Ramesh said.
The Rajya Sabha MP further questioned PM Modi's silence on multiple claims made by Trump, including the stopping of the India-Pakistan war by issuing "trade threats" and his claims that India won't buy oil from Russia.
"President Trump has claimed 51 times that he was responsible for stopping India-Pakistan tension by issuing a trade threat. Yesterday, Trump said that he told PM Modi that India should not buy oil from Russia, and India assured him that it would not buy oil from Russia. And the Prime Minister is silent on this! The PM should announce if such a decision has been taken," Ramesh said.
"PM tweets praises for Trump, but tariffs are imposed by the US. Why doesn't the government of India announce the decisions taken by it?" he added.
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on PM Modi, alleging that he is "frightened" of Trump. He objected to the US president's claim and listed allegations against the centre to bolster his point.
"PM Modi is frightened of Trump," Rahul Gandhi said as he listed recent incidents, "1.(PM Modi) Allows Trump to decide and announce that India will not buy Russian oil. 2. Keeps sending congratulatory messages despite repeated snubs. 3. Cancelled the Finance Minister's visit to America. 4. Skipped Sharm el-Sheikh. 5. Doesn't contradict him on Operation Sindoor," he posted on X.
This comes after the US President on Wednesday (local time) said that PM Modi had assured him that India would stop purchasing oil from Russia, describing it as "a big step" in efforts to increase global pressure on Moscow.
Trump made the remarks during a joint news conference with FBI Director Kash Patel at the Oval Office, where the two highlighted the administration's efforts to curb violent crime.
Responding to ANI's question on whether he viewed India as a reliable partner, Trump said, "Yeah, sure. He's (PM Narendra Modi) a friend of mine. We have a great relationship...I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That's a big stop. Now we've got to get China to do the same thing.
Trump also criticised India's previous oil imports from Russia, stating, "We were not happy with him buying oil from Russia, because that lets Russia continue on with this ridiculous war, where they've lost a million and a half people, by the way. Russia has lost a million and a half people, soldiers mostly."
As this happened, India on Thursday responded to comments made by US President Donald Trump about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assurance to halt Russian oil purchases, stating that the country's energy sourcing is guided by its national interests and the need to protect Indian consumers.
Responding to media queries, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective. Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions."
"Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement. This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing," he added.