New Delhi: Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, defended India’s decision to purchase discounted crude oil from Russia, pushing back against any suggestion of Western pressure and asserting that India’s diplomacy is anchored in national interest, not neutrality.
“No Western pressure. The only point is that Russian oil was never under sanction… What we were told is to buy within a price cap, so very happy, music to my ears. I can buy from there and I can buy cheaper,” Puri said in an interview with ThePrint, evaluating the Modi government’s performance over 11 years.
Explaining India’s continued procurement of Russian crude post-Ukraine invasion, Puri clarified that the purchase complies with global frameworks. “The oil coming in by a pipeline to Hungary was exempt. The oil going by pipeline to China [was] exempt. What was going from Sakhalin (Russia) to Japan was again [exempt].”
Asked whether India’s energy diplomacy was testing its international balancing act, Puri said: “Who asked you to be diplomatically neutral? Your diplomacy is designed to serve your national interest.”
He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for keeping India’s energy supply stable during a turbulent global period. “His moral duty, as I understand it, is to make sure that the Indian consumer is never short of energy, that that energy is affordable and that we are secure in our transition to sustainability.”
India’s energy strategy, Puri argued, is based on diversification and preparedness, especially in light of recent global disruptions including the Ukraine war and Red Sea shipping attacks.
Following the onset of the Ukraine war in February 2022, India significantly ramped up its oil imports from Russia—a notable shift from its traditional reliance on Middle Eastern suppliers. This pivot was driven largely by the steep discounts offered on Russian crude, made possible by Western sanctions and a sharp drop in demand from European nations.
“We are now… from all the countries you’re buying. We used to buy from 27 countries earlier. We’re buying from 40 countries. Our strategic reserves are, I wouldn’t say enough—there’s never enough—but you know, if you take all the oil we have in storage in the refineries, in platforms, at the point of importation, yes we are [prepared].”
The petroleum minister emphasised that India’s energy infrastructure has been built to buffer against sudden shocks. “If global prices remain like this, the cost of insurance and freight doesn’t go up because of global turbulence like attacks and the Houthis in the Red Sea and so on… Yes, in the foreseeable future, you should be looking at a reduction.”
He added that, despite favourable oil prices, India’s oil marketing companies continue to absorb significant financial stress. “Our oil companies lost ₹28,000 crore one earlier year… We compensated them by ₹22,000 crore. Last year, they lost ₹40,000 crore because of that subsidised gas cylinder we gave. We still have to pay them back.”
Puri reiterated that pricing is decided by the companies, not the government. “We don’t set the price. The companies do.”
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Rahul Gandhi, Op Sindoor & foreign policy politics
While defending the government’s international positioning, Puri also launched a sharp attack on Rahul Gandhi’s “Narendra surrender” jibe following India’s cross-border military operation in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
“I sincerely think that… he needs to do some introspection… Just compile all the statements that the Pakistanis are making and send it to Mr. Rahul Gandhi,” he said.
“Young, not so young, he’s about 50 plus, several times launched and relaunched… leader of opposition,” he added.
On Operation Sindoor itself, he stood by the government’s handling. “Our external affairs minister has been categorical. We received a call from the Director General of Military Operations of Pakistan… We also said that Operation Sindoor is still ongoing.”
“The devastation… in 22 minutes… is visible in commercially available satellite imagery. And there is no evidence of any devastation on our side,” he added.
Talking about the Opposition’s calls for a special parliamentary session to discuss the operation, Puri remarked, “Have you ever been into an operation where you haven’t lost something? There’s no running away from anything.”
Amid the praise for India’s swift military response under Operation Sindoor, controversy had also erupted over BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah’s widely criticised remarks targeting Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who featured prominently in the post-operation briefings. The comments, widely seen as sexist and derogatory, sparked outrage and drew demands for a public condemnation.
“I regret.. And I condemn in the strongest possible terms any member of my party… [and] any other party who makes statements like this,” he said.
“I’m so proud. I’m a feminist. I mean, I’m married to a feminist. I have two daughters who believe in feminism, but apart from that, look at the dignity of that lady in uniform”.
Growth, reform & governance under Modi
On the domestic front, Puri praised the government’s development and welfare record over the past decade. “Well, it’s (been) 11 years, the growth, development. And development with the benefits of growth percolating down to the grassroots level through the length and breadth of the country.”
He credited the government with lifting millions out of poverty: “In one goal (in) this 11-year period, 279 million people [were lifted] out of multi-dimensional poverty… Your poverty figure has fallen from 24 percent to 5 percent.”
Puri said the Modi years represented not only delivery but also civilisational reclamation. “Those mind-boggling figures— moving from a $2 trillion to a $4.3 trillion [economy]. We have reclaimed pride and confidence in our civilisational and historical heritage.”
“I’m not talking about religion, it’s a civilisation. You know, we’re a 7,000-year-old civilisation.”
He added that the government had shown “what can be done” and offered “a roadmap of what more you should be doing”.
On pending challenges, he said, “Government and governance is the art of the doable. Our regulatory environment needs to be eased—has been eased considerably.”
On coalition politics, caste census & manifesto commitments
With NDA 3.0 relying more on allies than before, Puri dismissed concerns about fragility. “No, not at all, not at all… NDA allies today are (our) strength. And our belief in the NDA has always been there.”
On unfulfilled promises from the 2014 manifesto, he countered, “Who thought of 370? I mean, no one. Triple talaq? One nation, one poll?”
Regarding the caste census, he said the BJP was never opposed. “Not at all, not at all. If you look at the old records, we’ve always been in favour… When we do the census, which we will do now, it will be part of that census.”
Puri also noted significant progress on energy transition.
“Your biofuel blending was 1.4 percent in 2014… it has gone up to 20%.” On green hydrogen, he added, “Price has already come down to less than $4 a kilo.”
“If you replicate this and scale it up and the price comes down to $2.5 to $3, you’ll have a revolution.”
AAP, Punjab & political ground realities
The Union minister also took aim at the Aam Aadmi Party and its governance model in Delhi and Punjab. “Law and order is a serious problem. If you’re not able to curb the drug menace… then that’s the problem you face.”
On AAP’s ₹2,500 women’s stipend promise in Delhi, he urged caution: “You must know who is entitled to it. These resources come from the state… It’s only a matter of time.”
On the BJP’s own limited footprint in Punjab, Puri noted, “Out of 117 MLA seats, we only contested 22–23…[in] the urban segments.”
Nonetheless, he reiterated that the prime minister remains the party’s most powerful political asset. “If you have a highly successful prime minister, the prime minister’s sheer appeal… he delivers on.”
Looking forward, Puri listed structural reform and economic acceleration as key priorities. “Accelerate the rate of growth from 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent and 8 percent. Make sure that some of the laws unleash entrepreneurial productivity.”
“There’s a lot to be done, but the best thing is to look at what has been done and draw inspiration from that for what [lies ahead].”
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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Each country’s is. The only question being the time frame over which costs and benefits of decisions such as purchase of discounted Russian oil are evaluated.