Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticises PM Modi over Russia oil silence

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him “Mauni Baba” following US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that India had agreed to reduce its oil imports from Russia.

Ramesh, in a post on X , wrote, “President Trump has yet again said that he has been assured by his good friend that India will cut back on its imports of oil from Russia. But that good friend suddenly becomes a Mauni Baba whenever President Trump says India will reduce its imports of oil from Russia.” He also pointed out that India’s trade deficit with China rose to $54.4 billion between April and September 2025, up from $49.6 billion during the same period last year.

The comments came a day after India responded to Trump’s previous statements suggesting that PM Modi had assured him India would halt purchases of Russian crude. On Friday, Trump reiterated his assertion, claiming that New Delhi had already “de-escalated and more or less stopped” its imports from Moscow.

Speaking during a bilateral luncheon with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, Trump stated, “India is not going to be buying Russian oil anymore… They already de-escalated and more or less stopped. They bought about 38 per cent of the oil, and they wouldn’t be doing it anymore.” His remarks came amid ongoing international pressure on countries to reduce energy ties with Russia in the context of the conflict in Ukraine, which the West says is fuelling Moscow’s military operations.

Government Response

Responding to Trump’s comments, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasised that India’s energy procurement is guided by national interest and the need to protect Indian consumers. He stated, “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.”

Jaiswal added that energy cooperation with the United States has steadily grown over the past decade and that the current US administration has expressed interest in deepening collaboration in the sector, with discussions ongoing.