India’s Ministry of External Affairs dismissed Peter Navarro’s statements as inaccurate and misleading, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening US-India ties despite recent trade tensions and tariff hikes.
New Delhi: India has strongly rejected remarks by Peter Navarro, trade advisor to US President Donald Trump, after he accused New Delhi of “indirectly funding” Russia’s war in Ukraine through cheap oil imports and controversially claimed that “Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of Indians.” In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that discussions between India and the US are ongoing and that New Delhi remains committed to strengthening bilateral ties. “We have seen the inaccurate and misleading statements made by Mr. Navarro and we obviously reject them,” he stated.
What Did Navarro Say?
Earlier this week, Peter Navarro triggered a storm by accusing India of profiteering from discounted Russian crude and indirectly funding Moscow’s war in Ukraine. In a Fox News interview, he described India as a “laundromat for the Kremlin” and justified Washington’s 50% tariff on Indian imports as a response to New Delhi’s trade and foreign policy choices. What provoked the sharpest backlash was Navarro’s remark that “Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of the Indian people.” The caste reference, unprecedented in US diplomacy, was condemned across party lines in India as inaccurate, insensitive, and inflammatory. BJP MP Dinesh Sharma condemned Navarro’s statement as “factually incorrect, culturally insensitive, and completely out of context.” Congress leader Pawan Khera also criticized the remark, calling it “baseless” and accusing the US of using such rhetoric to justify tariffs on Indian goods.
The controversy comes amid strained India-US ties under Donald Trump’s leadership. Recently, the president announced a 50% tariff hike on Indian imports, an action that has drawn criticism even in American political circles after an appeals court ruled the duties unlawful. Trump also appeared to take a swipe at India following the SCO summit in China, sharing a picture of Modi with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, writing: “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!”