“The PM’s good friend in the White House continues his ‘blow hot, blow cold’ approach to India,” says Jairam Ramesh, comms head of Congress. The Congress on Monday criticised US President Donald Trump over his remarks on India’s purchase of Russian oil, accusing Washington of pressuring New Delhi; and also questioned PM Narendra Modi’s government over it.
Jairam Ramesh, general secretary and comms head of the main Opposition party, said Washington continues to follow a “blow hot, blow cold” policy toward Delhi despite repeated public displays of warmth between Modi and Trump. “India wanted to make me happy,” Trump said earlier in the day, adding, “Modi is a very good guy and he knew I was not happy. And it was important to make me happy. We can raise tariffs on them very quickly.”
Trump was apparently referring to India’s oil trade with Russia, something his administration has long opposed, and which was cited as a reason for doubling the tariffs on India to 50% back in August 2025. “We could raise tariffs on India if they don’t help on Russian oil issue,” the President said. To this, in a post on X, Ramesh argued that events such as “Namaste Trump” and “Howdy Modi”, along with public praise and personal warmth, have brought little tangible benefit to India.
“The PM’s good friend in the White House continues his ‘blow hot, blow cold’ approach to India. He has yet again threatened higher tariffs on US imports from India if India did not stop buying oil from Russia. All those Namaste Trump, Howdy Modi events, all those (forced) hugs, and all those social media posts hailing the US President have done very little good,” Ramesh wrote.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said India has always sourced fuel based on cost considerations and has the sovereign right to buy cheaper oil from Russia. “The US is exploiting Prime Minister Modi’s weakness,” Tiwari said. The Indian government has not reacted to this immediate comment by Trump, as of 3:45 pm, January 5.
“Trump stands there sniggering, humiliating and making fun of India. US Senator, standing next to Trump claims that the Indian ambassador is begging him with an aim to keep the President in good humour. Trump asserts Modi has reduced Russian oil import under US pressure to make him happy. Such brazen bullies are mocking my country — but not a word from the Prime Minister. Not a squeak Modi is a disaster — a weak, coward man who can’t stand up to bullies for defending India’s honour,” she said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, global focus on oil-linked geopolitics has sharpened following US military action against Venezuela. The country holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, estimated at over 300 billion barrels, accounting for around 17% of global reserves, according to OPEC data. However, production has fallen to about one million barrels per day due to prolonged US sanctions and years of underinvestment.
