BJP govt in a tight spot as US Congress names India in Russia sanctions bill
Move exposes New Delhi's double game on global issues: Report
New Delhi: India has been named among the top trading partners of Russia liable for 100 percent secondary tariffs under a new US sanctions bill, made public on Monday, exposing the Modi government’s duplicity on international issues.
US lawmakers have moved amendments to the Russia sanctions bill, with one amendment seeking to explicitly name India among the countries funding Russia’s war against Ukraine through continued oil trade.
The Bill — the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act — was passed by the US Senate by an overwhelming 86-11 vote on August 7. It seeks to impose sanctions not only on Russia’s leadership and energy sector but also on the so-called “shadow fleet” of vessels that enable Moscow to evade sanctions on oil deliveries.
The Bill also seeks to authorize President Donald Trump to impose 100 percent tariffs on Russia’s top oil trading partners, including India. The US believes that Russia’s crude oil trade is funding the war against Ukraine. While the Senate-passed version did not name the trading partners and only mentioned the five largest importers of oil and gas by volume, the amendment moved by Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer seeks to explicitly name India among other countries eligible for 100 percent duties.
The amendments were made public by the House Rules Committee on Monday.
The House has only four working days left before it breaks into early recess ahead of the midterm elections on November 3. In a contrasting move, Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks, who is opposed to granting more tariff-levying powers to Trump, has moved an amendment to scrap Section 113 altogether that grants authority to the President to impose broad secondary tariffs on Russia’s trading partners.
Observers say the development has put the BJP government in a tight spot, as New Delhi, which often lectures others on international norms, stands exposed for bankrolling Moscow’s war machine while claiming alignment with the Western bloc.
