Rahul Gandhi Targets Centre, Calls Foreign Policy Flawed After US Russian Oil Waiver

New Delhi [India]: Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, referred to Indian foreign policy on Friday as “exploitation of a compromised individual,” following the United States’ approval of a waiver for India to buy Russian oil while shipping lanes across the Strait of Hormuz were impeded.

The 30-day move to oppose Iran amid the West Asian crisis, which has negatively impacted the Gulf countries that export crude oil, was declared by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday .

Rahul Gandhi claimed

Rahul Gandhi claimed that New Delhi’s foreign policy should be based on the country’s history and character, making fun of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Central Government over the issue of sovereignty.The will of our people as a whole determines India’s foreign policy. It ought to be grounded in our geography, history, and Satya and Ahimsa-based spiritual ethos. It is not policy that we are seeing today. Gandhi wrote about X, “It is the outcome of a compromised individual being exploited.”

Congress MP Manish Tewari also questioned whether India needed US approval to choose its energy sources earlier today.

The Congress leader chastised the US for its “neo-imperial arrogance,” writing, “‘Issuing a 30-day waiver’- The sanctimonious language of condensation drips with neo-imperial arrogance.” Are we a banana republic that need the consent of the United States to secure our energy security imperatives?”

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Tewari questioned New Delhi’s “silence” on the US remark, saying, “The silence of an otherwise overly loquacious government is deafening.” “Does it not understand what sovereignty is?”

Congress’ remarks came after the US Treasury Secretary’s X post, in which he revealed that the department has approved a 30-day waiver allowing India to purchase Russian oil in order to allow more oil to enter the global market.

Washington wants New Delhi to “ramp up” its purchases of US oil following this temporary waiver.

President Trump’s energy program has resulted in oil and gas output reaching all-time highs. To keep oil flowing into the global market, the Treasury Department has granted Indian refiners a temporary 30-day permission to acquire Russian oil. This purposefully short-term policy will bring no financial benefit to the Russian government because it only allows transactions involving oil that has already been stranded at sea. India is an important partner of the United States, and we fully expect New Delhi to increase its imports of US oil. This temporary step will relieve pressure imposed by Iran’s attempt to seize global energy,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote on X.

The Indian ceramic and fertiliser sectors are projected to be impacted by the disruption of energy supply caused by reliance on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Nearly 40% of India’s oil imports come from the region, with a major part delivered across the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, the crisis in West Asia has entered its seventh day, with US and Israeli bombings on Iran killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and other critical figures on February 28. In return, Tehran has launched counter-strikes against American military sites and other Israeli assets around the region.