Congress raises concerns over India’s strategic autonomy after the US permits a temporary purchase of Russian oil
New Delhi: The opposition Indian National Congress has strongly criticised the Union government after the United States announced a 30-day exemption allowing India to continue purchasing oil from Russia. They raise questions about the country’s strategic autonomy and foreign policy independence.
The exemption was shared in a post by Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. The Secretary states that Indian refineries would be temporarily allowed to procure Russian crude. Reacting to the development, Congress leaders accused the government led by Narendra Modi of allowing external influence over India’s energy and diplomatic decisions.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said the development validates concerns he had raised earlier regarding India’s energy security. Referring to his speech in Parliament on February 11, he warned that India’s oil procurement decisions could increasingly be shaped by Washington rather than New Delhi.
Sharpening his criticism and raising serious concerns over the direction of India’s foreign policy, Rahul Gandhi took to social media, where he states, “India’s foreign policy emerges from the collective will of our people. It should be rooted in our history, geography and our spiritual ethos based on Satya and Ahimsa. What we are witnessing today is not policy. It is the result of the exploitation of a compromised individual.”
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also criticised the language used by the US in granting the waiver. He said the proclamation to “allow” India to buy Russian oil resembles the treatment given to sanctioned nations and undermines India’s status as a responsible global partner.
Kharge further alleged that the government had gradually ceded diplomatic space to Washington on several strategic matters, including oil imports and trade negotiations.
According to the Congress leadership, India has historically maintained an independent foreign policy under leaders from Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and warned that such autonomy must be preserved.
Also Read: Assam CM Lays Foundation Stone for New Dibrugarh Press Club Building
