Delhi: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday took a pointed dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, dubbing him “Mauni Baba,” following US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that India has agreed to curb its imports of Russian oil.
In a post on X, Ramesh wrote, “President Trump has yet again said that he has been assured by his good friend that India will cut back on its imports of oil from Russia. But that good friend suddenly becomes a Mauni Baba whenever President Trump says he stopped Operation Sindoor and now when he says that India will reduce its imports of oil from Russia.”
He also highlighted India’s growing trade imbalance with China, noting, “Meanwhile India’s trade deficit with China during April–September 2025 increased to $54.4 billion as compared to $49.6 billion in the same period last year.”
The remarks come a day after India officially responded to Trump’s claims regarding Modi’s assurance to halt Russian oil purchases. On Friday (local time), Trump once again asserted that New Delhi has already “de-escalated and more or less stopped” its oil imports from Moscow. Speaking at a bilateral lunch with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, Trump added, “India is not going to be buying Russian oil anymore… They already de-escalated and more or less stopped. They are pulling back. They bought about 38 per cent of the oil, and they wouldn’t be doing it anymore.”
Trump also mentioned Hungary in his comments, stating, “Hungary is sort of stuck because they have one pipeline that’s been there for years… but India will not be buying oil from Russia.”
The US President’s statements reflect ongoing Western pressure on countries to reduce energy ties with Russia amid the conflict in Ukraine, which the West claims is supporting Moscow’s military operations.
In response, India emphasized that its energy decisions are guided by national interests and consumer protection. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective. Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions.”
