PM Narendra Modi

New Delhi: Congress on Wednesday sharply criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and questioned his silence in the case of a US official. repeated The United States has temporarily “allowed” India to buy Russian oil.In a post on Twitter, the opposition party highlighted comments by White House Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt, who called India a “good actor” while using the word “permission”. The Congress asked, “Why is the Government of India not objecting to this blatant insult to our sovereignty and dignity? Instead of protecting India’s honour, Prime Minister Modi clearly prefers to remain silent.”

The party sought answers from the BJP-led government and alleged that PM Modi’s silence was tantamount to tacit acceptance. The Congress said, “So the country should ask: What are they afraid of? Why are India’s decisions being decided from outside? Why is Narendra Modi being blackmailed by the United States? The people of India deserve answers. Because India’s sovereignty cannot be compromised.”Read this also India once rejected pressure to buy Russian oil. So why did it need an American ‘concession’ now?Levitt said during a media briefing on Tuesday that Washington has given New Delhi “permission” to temporarily buy Russian oil to address disruptions in global energy supplies amid the Middle East conflict. He stressed that India has been a “good actor” by stopping purchases of previously approved Russian oil and that the measure would not yield significant financial benefits to Russia.“I have spoken to the President and the Secretary of the Treasury, and the national security team has made this decision because our allies like India have been good actors. As we work to address the temporary global oil supply gap caused by the Iranians, we have temporarily allowed India to accept Russian oil,” Leavitt told reporters.Read this also ‘Mind your own business’: Kamal Haasan’s sharp message to Trump on India’s oil policyHis comments come amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following the assassination of Iran’s 86-year-old supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint US-Israel strikes on February 28. In retaliation, Iran targeted Israel and US assets in several Gulf countries. Several senior Iranian officials were also killed in the attacks.On March 5, US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant announced a 30-day waiver, allowing New Delhi to buy Russian crude.Last year, US President Donald Trump had imposed 50% tariffs on India, including 25% on Russian oil imports. Washington had alleged that New Delhi’s purchases were “funding Putin’s war machine” in Ukraine.In February, India and the US announced a delayed bilateral trade agreement, under which US tariffs on India were reduced to 18%. Later that month, the US Supreme Court, through a majority decision, invalidated Trump’s tariffs, prompting both countries to postpone further trade negotiations.