NEW DELHI: Congress on Friday targeted the Centre after the United States announced that it would allow India to purchase Russian oil, asking how long this “American blackmail” would continue.In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “Trump ka naya khel, Dilli dost ko kaha, Putin se le sakte ho tel, kab tak chalega ye Ameriki blackmail (Trump’s new game; told his friend in Delhi you can get oil from Putin; how long will this American blackmail continue?).”
Congress leader Manish Tewari also criticised the government and said, “Issuing a 30-day waiver — the sanctimonious language of condescension drips with neo-imperial arrogance. Are we a banana republic that we need the permission of the US to secure our energy security imperatives?”He added, “The silence of an otherwise overly loquacious government is deafening. Does it not understand what sovereignty means?”The move comes after the United States issued a temporary waiver allowing India to continue purchasing Russian oil, with Washington stating that the step is aimed at stabilising global energy supplies amid rising tensions in the Middle East.US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “President Trump’s energy agenda has resulted in oil and gas production reaching the highest levels ever recorded. To enable oil to keep flowing into the global market, the Treasury Department is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil.”He added that the US expects India to increase energy imports from the United States in the future.“India is an essential partner of the United States, and we fully anticipate that New Delhi will ramp up purchases of US oil,” Bessent wrote, noting that the temporary measure would “alleviate pressure caused by Iran’s attempt to take global energy hostage.”The waiver comes as India faces potential risks from energy supply disruptions in the Middle East, following escalating tensions in West Asia after a joint US-Israel military strike on February 28 on Iranian territory that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials.India sources nearly 40% of its oil imports from the region, with a significant portion transported through the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz.Russia has signalled that it is ready to redirect crude shipments to India to offset supply disruptions caused by the conflict. Nearly 9.5 million barrels of Russian oil are currently positioned near Indian waters and could reach the country within weeks, according to Reuters.The potential supply shift follows Iranian strikes on vessels in the region, raising fears that the Strait of Hormuz could be partially closed, affecting roughly 40% of India’s crude imports.