AAP, Rahul Gandhi slam Centre over US waiver for Russian oil purchase

AAP's Saurabh Bhardwaj and Rahul Gandhi criticised the Centre after the US granted a 30-day waiver for India to purchase Russian oil amid the West Asia crisis. Bhardwaj called it a 'humiliation,' and Gandhi slammed the government's foreign policy.

Opposition Slams Centre Over US Waiver

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi President Saurabh Bhardwaj on Friday criticised the Central government following the US Treasury Department's decision to grant a temporary 30-day waiver for Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil. AAP Delhi President claimed that the move represents a "humiliation" for India. AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bhardwaj, while speaking to ANI, said, " PM Modi has made this country a slave again... India has never faced this kind of nationwide humiliation. India is being given directions... What could be more shameful than this?"

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Friday described Indian foreign policy as "exploitation of a compromised individual," after the United States allowed a waiver for India to purchase Russian oil, amid shipping routes passing through the Strait of Hormuz being hampered. Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Central Government over the question of sovereignty, Rahul Gandhi said that New Delhi's foreign policy should be rooted in the nation's history and ethos. "India's foreign policy emerges from the collective will of our people. It should be rooted in our history, our 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," Gandhi wrote on X.

US Justifies 30-Day Waiver for India

Earlier, with the crisis in the Gulf severely hampering shipping routes that pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the United States on Thursday (local time) said it had allowed a 30-day waiver for India to purchase Russian Oil to meet its energy requirements. 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. This deliberately short-term measure will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government as it only authorizes transactions involving oil already stranded at sea. India is an essential partner of the United States, and we fully anticipate that New Delhi will ramp up purchases of U.S. oil. This stop-gap measure will alleviate pressure caused by Iran's attempt to take global energy hostage."

India sources nearly 40 per cent of its oil imports from the region, with a significant portion transported through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.

Background: Escalating West Asia Tensions

Meanwhile, the conflict in West Asia has entered its seventh day following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, along with other key figures in the Persian Gulf country on February 28. In retaliation, Tehran has responded with counter-strikes targeting American military bases and other Israeli assets across the region.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)