BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Monday that it is deeply humiliating that the United States is now openly saying it will “allow” India to buy Russian oil for 30 days.
“No foreign government should ever be in a position to grant or deny India permission to run its economy. Yet this is the situation India finds itself in under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Today it increasingly feels as if India’s capital is not New Delhi, but Washington DC. Donald Trump speaks like the acting PM of India, while Narendra Modi appears reduced to a puppet who merely follows instructions. A PM of a sovereign republic cannot allow such a situation to arise” the CM stated on social media platform X.
Siddaramaiah said India must speak with its own voice in the world. “At a time when the world is torn by war and bloodshed, India must show moral leadership and independent thinking, guided by our own history,” he said.
The BJP hit back, stating this is not the UPA era, when the government functioned as a remote-controlled establishment under Sonia Gandhi, readily surrendering India’s sovereign interests at the slightest pressure from Washington.
“The world has not forgotten how the then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton openly confirmed that India had reduced oil imports from Iran under American pressure - that too in the presence of the UPA’s own External Affairs Minister. Few moments in India’s diplomatic history have been more humiliating or revealing,” state BJP president BY Vijayendra said.
“What is even more unfortunate today is that a sitting Chief Minister has reduced himself to the level of a full-time troll, desperately competing with one of his own prank-specialist ministers for social media attention. Let this be understood clearly: when it comes to India’s sovereignty, the Government of India has stated unequivocally that India’s energy security will be determined by India alone - not by Washington, Brussels, or any other foreign capital,” he added.
Despite threats of sanctions, tariffs and relentless pressure from Western powers, India went ahead and increased its purchase of Russian crude oil, he said.
Siddu slams Centre over LPG price rise
CM Siddaramaiah has criticised the Union Government’s recent hike in LPG cylinder prices, describing it as unjust and burdensome for ordinary citizens.
The CM said that the price escalation is “not right” and places additional strain on household budgets already grappling with inflation. He highlighted the impact on millions of families, noting that domestic cylinders have become costlier by Rs 60.