Congress MP and general secretary Jairam Ramesh addressing a press conference in New Delhi. File
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
The Congress on Saturday (October 18, 2025) described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as mauni baba (silent monk) alleging that he remains silent when U.S. President Donald Trump claims India will reduce Russian oil imports or that Mr. Trump halted Operation Sindoor.
In a post on X, Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh highlighted President Trump’s assertion that Mr. Modi, his “good friend”, assured that India would cut oil imports from Russia.
“President Trump has yet again said that he has been assured by his good friend that India will cut back on its imports of oil from Russia. But that good friend suddenly becomes a Mauni Baba whenever President Trump says he stopped Operation Sindoor and now when he says that India will reduce its imports of oil from Russia,” Mr. Ramesh said in a post on X and shared President Trump’s latest statement.
Trade deficit with China
The Congress leader also noted that India’s trade deficit with China rose to $54.4 billion in April-September 2025, up from $49.6 billion the previous year.
His remarks come hours after the U.S. president repeated his claims that India will not be buying oil from Russia, saying that the country has already “de-escalated” and is “pulling back”.
This is the second time that Mr. Trump has made such a claim about India’s purchase of oil from Russia.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday (October 17, 2025), while responding to Mr. Trump’s remarks, had said it has been New Delhi’s consistent priority to safeguard the interests of Indian consumers in a volatile energy scenario.
He said India’s import policies are guided entirely by national interest, adding that the country has been looking at expanding energy ties with the U.S. as well.
Published – October 18, 2025 07:14 pm IST
