Oil be damned: US Congress arms Trump with tariff gun, putting India & China in crosshairs

On September 17, 2026, the Congress party accused the Narendra Modi government of making a "discriminatory stance" by not opposing the U.S. decision to impose steep tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil. The party demanded that the government clarify its position on the matter and ensure India's energy security is not compromised.

Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal questioned whether India's foreign policy and energy sovereignty would be controlled from Washington. Venugopal said he was confident the Modi government would toe the U.S. line and surrender to Washington due to the compromised record of the prime minister. Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala called the U.S. move an "affront to Indian sovereignty" and questioned whether the government would speak for the nation.

Surjewala cited remarks by Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who had suggested India and China should "buy their oil and gas somewhere else". The Congress party dismissed the government's efforts to reassure the public that it would protect India's economic and energy interests, stating that appeasement has never paid and will never pay.