<h2 data-start="313" data-end="384">India rebukes US trade adviser&rsquo;s attack on Russian oil imports</h2>
India has rejected remarks by <a title="US" href="https://www.benefitnews24.com/opinion/trump-tariffs-india-but-is-putin-the-real-target-/17517" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US</a> trade adviser Peter Navarro, who criticised New Delhi&rsquo;s continued purchase of Russian crude and laced his comments with a caste reference. Officials, ministers and political leaders across party lines termed his remarks offensive and ill-informed.
Speaking to an American news channel, Navarro said &ldquo;Brahmins are profiteering&rdquo; from oil trade and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop dealings with Russia. He questioned India&rsquo;s ties with Moscow and Beijing, adding: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t understand how the world&rsquo;s largest democracy works with Putin and Xi.&rdquo;
The statement provoked sharp condemnation in New Delhi. Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri defended <a title="India" href="https://www.benefitnews24.com/politics/india-unfazed-by-us-threat-on-russian-oil/16524" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India&rsquo;s</a> energy policy, writing in a national daily that New Delhi&rsquo;s adherence to international norms prevented a $200-per-barrel oil shock. He rejected claims that India had become a &ldquo;laundromat&rdquo; for Russian oil.
Sanjeev Sanyal, member of the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Economic Advisory Council, described Navarro&rsquo;s remarks as colonial in tone. &ldquo;This is derived directly from 19th century jibes by the likes of James Mill,&rdquo; he said, recalling Edward Said&rsquo;s concept of Orientalism.
ALSO READ: https://www.benefitnews24.com/opinion/trump-s-tariff-gambit-shifts-global-balances/17917
Opposition voices joined the rebuke. Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena said: &ldquo;Navarro&rsquo;s invocation of caste identity, even as a metaphor, is shameful and sinister.&rdquo; She noted that while &ldquo;Brahmin&rdquo; in the American context refers to elites, using the word against India carried deliberate intent.
The Congress&rsquo; Pawan Khera dismissed Navarro&rsquo;s words as &ldquo;baseless statements&rdquo;, asserting that Washington cannot dictate India&rsquo;s trade policy.
India has consistently resisted American pressure to cut Russian oil imports, stressing that its energy security comes first. Officials argue that New Delhi has not broken any rules, and continues to act within the global framework.
The sharp exchange underscores the friction in India&ndash;US trade relations, especially after Washington&rsquo;s tariffs failed to push India into a deal. Navarro&rsquo;s remarks risk deepening mistrust as New Delhi asserts strategic autonomy in global energy and foreign policy.

New Delhi condemns Peter Navarro’s crude oil, caste-linked comments on India

India hits back at Navarro’s Russia oil remark

New Delhi condemns Peter Navarro’s crude oil, caste-linked comments on India

September 1, 2025 | 15:28 IST