Congress hits out at Modi for 'ceding diplomatic space', Rahul terms him 'compromised'

Congress criticizes Modi's foreign policy, claiming he's compromised and ceding India's diplomatic space to external pressures.

India's foreign policy is the result of the "exploitation of a compromised individual", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday (March 6, 2026) while attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a day the U.S. announced a temporary waiver allowing Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil.

The Congress and its president Mallikarjun Kharge echoed the sentiment in separate social media posts hitting out at the government on its foreign policy and for "continuously ceding diplomatic space".

"India's foreign policy emerges from the collective will of our people. It should be rooted in our history, our geography, and our spiritual ethos based on Satya and Ahimsa," Mr. Gandhi said in a post on X.

"What we are witnessing today is not policy. It is the result of the exploitation of a compromised individual," the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said.

He also shared his February 11 speech in the Lok Sabha during the discussion on the budget where he spoke about India's energy security being compromised. "The U.S. will tell us who we can or cannot buy oil from, if it's Russia or Iran, the U.S. will decide. But our Prime Minister will not decide," Mr. Gandhi had said.

As the conflict in West Asia escalates, the U.S. said it is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this "deliberately short-term measure" will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government as it only authorises transactions involving oil already stranded at sea.