October 24, 2025
NEW DELHI – Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took a sharp swipe at the government Thursday, quipping, “Modi proposes, Reliance disposes, Trump exposes.”
His barb came in light of media reports claiming Reliance Industries is scaling back its Russian crude oil imports. Quoting an RIL spokesperson, they said the company is recalibrating its Russian oil purchases in line with government directives.
This development comes after US President Donald Trump claimed that India would stop buying oil from Russia, sparking controversy over the government’s stance.
The controversy began when Trump claimed that India had agreed to stop buying oil from Russia, sparking criticism from the opposition. The government has maintained that its oil purchases are guided by national interests and market conditions.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has since stated that India’s oil purchases are guided by the need to safeguard the interests of Indian consumers in a “volatile” energy scenario.
The government’s stance on oil imports has been consistent, with Jaiswal saying that India is “broad-basing and diversifying” its energy sourcing to meet market conditions. This statement came after Trump’s claim that PM Modi had assured him that New Delhi would stop procuring Russian crude oil.
The Congress has accused the government of being opaque about its dealings with the US. Ramesh questioned why the PM didn’t clarify the matter himself, saying, “What he conceals, Trump reveals.” The opposition has also alleged that the government’s foreign policy has “completely collapsed” and urged the Centre to take opposition leaders into confidence.
The issue has strained India-US relations, with the US imposing tariffs on Indian exports. Trump has repeatedly claimed that India would face massive tariffs if it continued to buy oil from Russia, reiterating that he had received assurances from PM Modi that New Delhi would stop its oil purchases from Moscow.