The ministry of external affairs on Friday hit out at the "misleading statements" made by White House trade advisor Peter Navarro about India's purchase of Russian oil.
"We have seen the inaccurate and misleading statements made by Navarro, and obviously reject them," external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a meida briefing.
Navarro had earlier stoked a controversy while criticising India for its purchase of Russian oil, saying that "Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of the Indian people.”
The casteist remarks invited backlash from political leaders in India as well as Hindu groups.
The White House official had also accused India of being an "oil money laundromat for the Kremlin". "If India, the world's largest democracy, wants to be treated like a strategic partner of the US, it needs to act like one," he said, in a series of social media posts attacking New Delhi.
The remarks come in the backdrop of deteriorating ties between India and US after President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50%. These include 25% punitive duties for India's purchase of Russian crude oil.
The 25 per cent tariff has already come into effect and additional levies are due from August 27.
India described the US action as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable" and even wondered why it has been singled out for the punitive action. Surprisingly, the US has not imposed any punitive measure on China, the largest importer of Russian crude oil.
Defending its purchase of Russian crude oil, India has been maintaining that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics.
During an exclusive interview to Network18, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said that India will continue to purchase Russian oil for its economic interests.
(With inputs from PTI)
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