Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, sharply criticised the central government over the United States granting India a waiver to continue purchasing crude oil from Russia amid the ongoing Middle East crisis. During his speech, Gandhi argued that India’s energy security should remain a sovereign decision and suggested that allowing another country to determine India’s oil imports undermines national autonomy.
Addressing the House, Gandhi said that the foundation of any nation lies in its energy security and questioned why a country of India’s size would permit another nation to decide whether it can buy oil or gas from specific suppliers. According to him, decisions regarding India’s relationships with oil-producing nations should be made independently rather than influenced by external governments.
Continuing his remarks, Gandhi also targeted Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, suggesting that compromises had occurred in the country’s oil procurement policy. He referred to what he described as a “puzzle” behind the decision-making process and implied that the matter involved compromises at the ministerial level.
In his comments, Gandhi mentioned the name of Jeffrey Epstein while referring to Puri’s alleged associations, arguing that such connections reflected the nature of the compromise he was alleging in India’s oil-buying policy.
Responding to the criticism, Puri defended the government’s energy strategy and stated that India’s crude oil supply remains secure despite the current geopolitical turmoil. He said that the world is facing an unprecedented situation in modern energy history due to ongoing conflicts and disruptions to global supply routes.
Puri explained that before the current crisis, around 45 percent of India’s crude imports passed through the Strait of Hormuz. However, he asserted that through diplomatic efforts led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has secured alternative crude volumes that exceed what the disrupted Hormuz route would have provided during the same period.
The debate in Parliament quickly turned chaotic when Gandhi mentioned Epstein during his speech. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Om Birla, intervened and asked Gandhi to restrict his remarks to the subject mentioned in the notice he had submitted before the session.
According to Birla, Gandhi had sought permission to speak on the issue of the ongoing LPG shortage in the country. He reminded the Leader of the Opposition that raising unrelated issues without prior notice does not comply with parliamentary rules and procedures.
Birla emphasised that Parliament must function according to established procedures and urged Gandhi to focus on the approved topic of discussion. Following the exchange, the Speaker briefly left the chair amid the continuing disruptions in the House.
Birla also clarified that Gandhi’s remarks concerning Epstein would remain on the official parliamentary record. The uproar eventually led to the adjournment of the Lok Sabha shortly after the exchange, bringing the session to a temporary halt.
