Randeep Singh Surjewala said that India is a sovereign republic with the right to buy energy from any nation that meets India’s national interests and at a price its people can afford. File
| Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma
The Congress party has termed United States President Donald Trump’s decision to impose 100% tariffs on countries buying Russian oil as an unjustified action, warning that the move has serious implication for India’s energy security, economy, and trade.
Congress Working Committee member and former Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala warned, in separate statements on Sunday (September 20, 2026), against “surrendering” to U.S. diktats, stressing that it is the government’s sovereign duty to secure affordable energy for 140 crore people.
‘Unjustified action’
Mr. Trump’s decision to sign the Lindsay Graham Bill into an Act that empowers him to impose 100% tariffs on countries buying Russian oil is a matter of grave concern, Mr. Sharma said. “India is a major importer of Russian crude oil accounting for over half of crude petroleum imports this year, as the U.S. Israel attack on Iran and the West Asia conflict caused a serious disruption of oil and gas supply globally and a sharp rise in petroleum and gas prices. This unjustified action has serious implications for India’s energy security, economy, and trade,” he said.
“It is Ironic that the U.S. itself is annually importing uranium and fertilisers valued at over $4 billion. These have been carefully kept out of the ambit of the Graham Act. This is hypocrisy and double standards,” he said, adding that the arbitrary targeting of strategic partner countries, including India, is unjustified, unacceptable, and condemnable.
‘Abject capitulation’
Mr. Surjewala said that India is a sovereign republic with the right to buy energy from any nation that meets India’s national interests and at a price its people can afford. “Our friendship with Washington does not make our national interest subservient to the demands of the White House under the watch of a weak-kneed BJP government. Securing affordable energy for 140 crore people is our sovereign duty,” he said, adding that the sad story today was the “abject capitulation” by the Narendra Modi-led government, at the cost of the Indian economy.
“After 12 years of ‘Vishwaguru’ rhetoric, the Modi government has failed to build the counter-leverage needed to protect India from external economic pressure, nor does it show the courage to stand on equal ground and stand for our people and the nation,” Mr. Surjewala said. He added that while private refiners captured billions from discounted Russian crude, the government had left an $86.5 billion export economy exposed to Washington’s coercion.
Published – September 20, 2026 09:18 pm IST
