Former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation after the United States granted Indian refiners a temporary waiver to purchase Russian oil.
In a post on X, Kejriwal asked why India needed permission from America to buy oil from Russia. He alleged that the Prime Minister had repeatedly bowed before US President Donald Trump and failed to assert India’s independence. “Who is America to grant India permission to buy oil from Russia? Why does India even need permission from America?” Kejriwal wrote.
He further said India is a nation of 1.4 billion people with a proud history of brave leaders and warriors. He claimed that never before had India bowed its head in such a manner and described the country’s leadership as appearing weak. Kejriwal urged Modi to resign if there was any compulsion forcing him to act submissively.
The US Treasury Department announced the waiver as part of Trump’s energy agenda, allowing Indian refiners to purchase stranded Russian oil for 30 days. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measure would not provide significant financial benefit to Russia but would stabilise global markets amid tensions in West Asia.
The waiver comes after a joint US-Israel strike on Iran on February 28 killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, raising concerns about energy supply disruptions. India sources nearly 40 per cent of its oil imports from the Middle East, much of it through the Strait of Hormuz.
