Congress leader Udit Raj on Sunday endorsed controversial claims made by White House trade advisor Peter Navarro that India’s upper-caste corporate houses are profiting from the country’s crude oil purchases from Russia, calling the remarks “factually correct.”
Raj, a former Congress MP and prominent Dalit leader, alleged that only upper-caste businessmen were reaping the benefits of India’s Russian oil imports, while ordinary citizens were left without any gains.
“I fully agree with Peter Navarro’s remarks that Brahmins are benefiting from Russian oil purchases. It is true that corporate houses in India are largely run by upper castes. They buy oil from Russia, refine it, and sell it at much higher prices. Ordinary Indians are not benefiting from this,” Raj said.
He further claimed that entrenched discrimination prevents marginalised communities from participating in India’s corporate sector.
“I don’t think backward castes and Dalits in the country will be able to set up corporate houses in the next 100 years due to entrenched discrimination. What Navarro has said is factually correct, and no one can deny it,” he added.
His comments came shortly after Navarro, a close aide of former US President Donald Trump, accused India of indirectly funding Russia’s war in Ukraine through its crude oil purchases. Navarro also asserted that Brahmins were “profiteering at the expense of the Indian people,” while criticising New Delhi’s trade policies.
“India is the maharaja of tariffs. They have the highest tariffs in the world. They export us a bunch of stuff. So, who gets hurt? Workers in America, taxpayers, Ukrainians. Modi is a great leader. I don’t understand why he is getting into bed with Putin and Xi Jinping when India is the biggest democracy in the world,” Navarro said in an interview.
Also Read : Navarro calls Ukraine crisis Modi’s war
“I would simply say this to Indian people to understand what is going on here. You have got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people, and we want that to stop,” he added.
Navarro, who was the chief architect of the 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, has previously described the Ukraine conflict as “Modi’s war,” arguing that India’s energy purchases bolster Russia’s war chest.
New Delhi has pushed back strongly against such criticism, insisting its crude oil imports are part of legitimate global market operations.
“India is getting in bed with the authoritarians. World’s third-largest democracy should act like one. India now exports over 1 million barrels a day in refined petroleum — more than half the volume of Russian crude it imports. The proceeds flow to India’s politically connected energy titans — and directly into Putin’s war chest,” Navarro said in a post on X.
Tensions between Washington and New Delhi have recently deepened after Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, on top of an existing 25 per cent levy, following India’s refusal to halt crude oil imports from Russia.
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