‘Not Policy, But Exploitation’: Rahul Gandhi, Kharge Slam Govt Over US Waiver On Russian Oil

Last Updated:March 06, 2026, 14:05 IST

Reacting to the development, Rahul Gandhi said that India’s foreign policy should be shaped by the will of its people and rooted in the country’s history and values.

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Government’s foreign policy after the United States announced a 30-day waiver for India to procure oil from Russia, something Trump and his administration had rebuked New Delhi for months, and had imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff.

Reacting to the development, Gandhi said that India’s foreign policy should be shaped by the will of its people and rooted in the country’s history and values.

“What we are witnessing today is not policy. It is the result of the exploitation of a compromised individual," he said in a post on X.

Gandhi also shared a video of his earlier speech in the Lok Sabha, where he argued that India’s energy security was at risk and claimed that Washington was effectively deciding from whom India could buy oil.

“The US will tell us who we can or cannot buy oil from — if it’s Russia or Iran, the US will decide. But our prime minister will not decide," he had said in the speech.

Additionally, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that the US decision to “allow" India to buy Russian oil for 30 days showed that the government was “continuously ceding diplomatic space."

Kharge also alleged that India’s strategic autonomy was under threat and claimed the government had surrendered ground on several fronts, including trade and energy.

“This is the kind of language which is used for sanctioned states, and not India, who has been a responsible and an equal partner in global order," he said in a long post on X.

Other Congress leaders also questioned the development. Party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate asked why a sovereign nation should require permission from another country for its energy purchases, while MP KC Venugopal said the waiver was “deeply humiliating" for India’s sovereignty.

Such remarks came after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the Treasury Department is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil, saying the move was intended to stabilise global energy supplies amid rising tensions in West Asia.

“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," Bessant said.

Terming India an “essential partner" of the United States, Secretary Bessent said that Washington anticipates that New Delhi will ramp up its purchase of US oil. “This stop-gap measure will alleviate pressure caused by Iran’s attempt to take global energy hostage."

The waiver came as the ongoing tensions in the gulf region as missile strikes in several Gulf countries have impacted the production of oil. The situation has become more tense due to Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow maritime chokepoint that handles 20 percent of the global oil supplies.

Several major oil supply units, such as Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura refinery and Iraq’s Rumaila oil field, were struck amid the conflict that began last week between Iran, Israel and the United States.

India is considered to be the largest buyer of Russian crude oil after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. However, India began to cut its purchases of Russian oil earlier this year after it came under pressure from Washington. Following this, the US lowered the tariffs imposed on New Delhi. Additionally, both India and the US have also secured an interim trade agreement with each other, escalating ties between the two countries.

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