Rahul slams RSS for ‘servility’ over Ram Madhav’s remarks on oil, tariffs in US
Congress leader calls RSS ‘servile’ as Ram Madhav retracts remarks on Iran, Russia oil and 50 per cent US tariffs, stating that they were factually incorrect
Latching onto RSS leader Ram Madhav’s remarks in Washington DC on India stopping oil imports from Iran and Russia, and accepting a 50 per cent US tariff without much protest, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (April 25) accused the RSS of “pure servility” to the US and “farzi” (fake) nationalism.
Taking to X, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, further stated that Madhav’s remarks have exposed the “true nature” of the RSS, which he dubbed as the "Rashtriya Surrender Sangh".
“Rashtriya Surrender Sangh. Farzi nationalism in Nagpur. Pure servility in USA. Ram Madhav has only revealed Sangh’s true nature,” tweeted Rahul.
What Madhav said in Washington
His remarks come days after Madhav, in a panel discussion in Washington DC alongside Ambassador Kurt Campbell and Elizabeth Threlkeld at the Hudson Institute's New India Conference on ‘New Paths Forward for U.S.-India Relations’ said that despite criticism from the Opposition, the Government agreed to stop buying oil from Iran and Russia and accepted 50 per cent tariffs from the US.
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Madhav asked what exactly India was not doing to cooperate with the US was. "India agreed to stop buying oil from Iran. We agreed to stop buying oil from Russia despite so much criticism from our opposition. India agreed to a 50% tariff without saying too much. So where exactly is India not doing enough to work with America?" he said during the discussion as quoted by ANI.
Backlash and retraction
Facing backlash over his remarks, Madhav later admitted that his remarks at the discussion was "factually incorrect".
"What I said was wrong. India didn't agree to stopping import of oil from Russia anytime. Also, it vigorously protested the 50 per cent tariff imposition. I was trying to make a limited counterpoint to the other panellist. But factually incorrect. My apologies,” stated Madhav in a post on X.
Government’s position on oil supply
Earlier, the government indicated that India remains in a comfortable position about crude oil, petroleum products and LPG, citing adequate existing reserves.
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According to an ANI report quoting sources, any potential disruption linked to the Strait of Hormuz would be managed by increasing supplies from alternative regions to offset shortfalls.
Import trends and strategic routes
The report further stated that India has been importing crude oil from Russia since 2022. That year, Russian supplies accounted for roughly 0.2 per cent of India’s total imports.
By February, the share had risen to about 20 per cent. Nearly 40 per cent of India’s crude passes through the Strait of Hormuz, while the remaining 60 per cent is sourced through other routes.