Shiv Sena MP praises Jaishankar's response about India's energy imports from Russia

S Jaishankar. Minister of External Affairs, India (Image- Reuters)

Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Tuesday termed External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's response to a question on India's energy imports as superb, in a rare praise for the Centre from its once close ally and now a bitter rival.

Taking to Twitter, the Rajya Sabha MP posted a video of Jaishankar's comments, and tweeted "Superb from EAM!".

Responding to a question by a reporter in Washington about India's oil purchase from Russia, Jaishankar said, "I noticed you refer to oil purchases. If you are looking at energy purchases from Russia, I would suggest that your attention should be focused on Europe. We do buy some energy, which is necessary for our energy security. But I suspect looking at the figures, probably our total purchases for the month would be less than what Europe does in an afternoon."

Jaishankar was addressing a joint news conference with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with their American counterparts Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, after the conclusion of the 2+2 Ministerial on Monday.

The foreign minister said India has made a number of statements (on the Russia-Ukraine war), which outline its position in the United Nations, in the Indian Parliament and in other forums.

The Sena has been targeting the Centre over its policies ranging from security, foreign policy and economy.