Summary of this article
The United States has issued a temporary 30-day waiver permitting Indian refiners to continue purchasing Russian oil to ensure stability in the global energy market.
The BJP termed the decision a success of India’s “strategic oil diplomacy” under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The party criticised Congress for raising concerns over a potential oil shortage.
After the US announced a temporary 30-day waiver allowing Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil, the BJP on Friday described the move as a success of the “strategic oil diplomacy” under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and said it was a “big egg on the face of anti-India Rahul Gandhi and the Congress.”
“Rahul Gandhi and Congress hate seeing India act with strategic restraint and strategic clarity under Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said in a post on X.
Amid the escalating conflict with Iran, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday, "President (Donald) 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.”
“India is an essential partner of the United States, and we fully anticipate that New Delhi will ramp up purchases of US oil. This stop-gap measure will alleviate the pressure caused by Iran's attempt to take global energy hostage,” Bessent said in a post on X.
Bessent added that the “deliberately short-term measure” would not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government, as it only authorises transactions involving oil already stranded at sea.
Reacting to the announcement, Bhandari said, “A big egg on the face of anti-India Rahul Gandhi and Congress, which wanted to create panic by spreading fake news on ‘oil shortage’!” “Yet again India's strategic oil diplomacy under PM Narendra Modi succeeds!” the BJP spokesperson added.
(with PTI inputs)
