Trump's ‘destroy career’ jibe at ‘great friend’ Modi gets firm Indian response

US chair Donald Trump's lean of wide-ranging statements naming ground government minister Narendra Modi saw a new entry when he said on Thursday, October 16, that he did not want to “destroy [Modi's] political career” and claimed that India's leader had promised to stop buying Russian oil.The Indian government has denied that Trump and Modi spoke over the phone. Russian oil has been a contentious issue and is cited by the US as the reason for half of the 50% trade tariffs imposed on India. India's external affairs ministry also issued a statement, asserting its priorities in deciding whom to buy from. "It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.The claims coming from Trump — such as the political jibe about not wanting to “destroy” PM Modi's “career” — were another show of his allegedly mercurial turns with regards to India and PM Modi."I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he (Modi) assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That's a big stop," he pointedly claimed.The purchase of Russian oil, which the US says funds Russia's war in Ukraine, remains a sticking point also in the hiccup-ridden but ongoing trade talks between the two countries for a trade deal. India is the second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels behind China.New Delhi has its own red lines on trade, such as not allowing free flow of American farm and dairy products. PM Modi has said he won't compromise on farmers' interests.Pricks and praise in same breathTrump also praised Modi in the same breath on Thursday, using the adjective “great” for his “friend" again, adding that “he (Modi) loves Trump”. “I don't want to destroy his political career,” he added.He then claimed, wrongly, that India had a new leader every year before Modi came on the scene. “My friend has been there now for a long time,” he said, referring to the BJP-led NDA's 11 years and counting, which came after 10 years of Manmohan Singh's Congress-led UPA regime.India has been measured in its response, saying it's widening its energy supply base. “Where the US is concerned,” the ministry statement added, “we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement. This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing.”India's Russian oil purchasesTraditionally reliant on the Middle East or West Asia for oil, India spiked its imports from Russia after the February 2022 Ukraine conflict as limitations imposed by the West made it available at steep discounts.This meant that for India, the world’s third-largest oil importer, purchases from Russia surged from under 1 per cent to nearly 40 per cent of its total crude oil imports in a short span.India has argued that the US at one point encouraged it to buy from Russia even after the war as that kept global prices in check.Relentless in claims: ‘Stopped the war’Irrespective of nuance, Trump has been on a claim spree lately, bringing in India's hostile neighbour Pakistan repeatedly.His comments about PM Modi's “promise” and “career” come just days after he repeated, over a 50th time, that he got an India-Pakistan war, potentially nuclear, stopped back in May. India has denied that it acted under US pressure and said it strategically halted the operation on Pakistan's request.Even at the global stage of the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt, Trump got Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif to the dais, who profusely praised Trump, giving him credit for “stopping the war”.Trump thanked him, and then called PM Modi too “great leader” and “great friend”.US watchers and former officials have said Trump is essentially miffed that Modi, unlike Sharif and others, has not endorsed his Nobel Peace Prize bid for “stopping so many wars”.Earlier this month, though, mixed signals continued as Trump sent Modi a framed photo of the two of them with a handwritten message: “Mr Prime Minister, you are great!”Then came the India-Pakistan remark while speaking to reporters as he took a flight to the Middle East for the Gaza summit. He was asked about China, but he chose to meander into South Asia.“I settled a few of the wars just based on tariffs. As an example, with India and with Pakistan, I said, 'If you guys want to fight a war — and you have nuclear weapons! — I'm going to put big tariffs on you both, like 100%, 150, and 200%.' (They said:) 'No, no, no, don't do that.' I said, 'I'm putting tariffs.' I had that thing settled in 24 hours. If I didn't have tariffs, you could have never settled that war,” he added.Measured in face of mixed signalsModi has not addressed these claims directly, instead choosing to take the diplomatic route, while also stressing that India must become more “aatmanirbhar” (self-reliant) by making and using “swadeshi” (indigenous) products.An Indian team is in the US, meanwhile, for the sixth round of talks for a trade deal, even as jibes continue to fly from Trump and his aides.