Karti Chidambaram questions Centre's coherence on Russian oil deal

Congress' Karti Chidambaram questioned the Centre's coherence on Russian oil imports after a White House statement. This followed the US revoking tariffs as India clarified its stance, prioritizing energy security for its 1.4 billion people.

Karti Chidambaram Questions Centre's Coherence

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Monday took a dig at the Centre on the issue of stopping Russian Oil purchase as stated in the statement issued by the White House after the aditional 25% tariff was revoked. In an X post, Karti Chidambaram questioned the Centre's Cabinet system and the coherence among ministers. "Anyone who thinks that we have a Cabinet system of governance is living in lalaland. Piyush Goyal doesn't know, S Jaishankar doesn't know & Shivraj Singh Chouhan doesn't know. Who knows? #TradeDeal," the Congress leader wrote.

White House Statement on Russian Oil

The purchase of oil from Russia came under question as the White House, in a separate statement, said, "India has committed to stop directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil, has represented that it will purchase United States energy products from the United States, and has recently committed to a framework with the United States to expand defense cooperation over the next 10 years."

MEA Clarifies India's Position

The Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday clarified its position on the purchase of Russian Oil. This followed the US revoking the 25% additional tariff invoked on India for purchase of Russian Oil after concluding the announcement of a framework on a bilateral trade agreement. The Ministry specified that diversifying energy sourcing in line with objective market conditions and evolving international dynamics remains central to India's strategy to ensure energy security for its population of 1.4 billion.

Responding to queries on India's energy security, the MEA spokesperson reiterated that safeguarding the country's energy needs is a top priority. "Insofar as India's energy sourcing is concerned, the government has stated publicly on several occasions that ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion Indians is the supreme priority of the government," the spokesperson said.

The MEA further underlined that all decisions taken by India in the energy sector are driven by this overarching objective. "Diversifying our energy sourcing in keeping with objective market conditions and evolving international dynamics is at the core of our strategy to ensure this," the spokesperson said.

"All of India's actions are taken and will be taken with this in mind," he added.

US-India Trade Agreement Framework

The US and India announced in a joint statement that they have reached a framework for an Interim Agreement on reciprocal, mutually beneficial trade (the Interim Agreement) and have agreed on its terms. According to the joint statement from the Ministry of Commerce and the White House, the US will apply a reciprocal tariff rate of 18 per cent on goods originating in India, including textiles and apparel, leather and footwear, plastic and rubber, organic chemicals, home decor, artisanal products, and certain machinery. (ANI)

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