“Modi’s government doesn’t feel the pressure”
“Let me clear your perspective, India buys only in a quarter, what Europe buys in an afternoon”
“There is no moral conflict”
“This is something you are creating in a TV studio”, “That’s no sir”
“I don’t address hypothetical question”
What you read just now were some of the responses that Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, delivered during an interview with CNN. Minister Hardeep Singh Puri was being interviewed by CNN, during which he took the CNN journalist to the cleaners after she tried to guilt-trip India. The video has publicised India’s independent foreign policy. Not only this, the interview made sure to uncover how stupid the West is if it thinks the way CNN thinks.
Jaishankar 2.0 moment at the CNN
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has been appreciated across the country for his scathing remarks about the West. His statements about India’s concern regarding human rights issues in America or showing the mirror to Europe has relieved Indians, that finally in the Narendra Modi cabinet, India has the foreign minister that Indians needed and deserved.
A foreign minister who could go to the West and wake them up from colonial slumber. Now, with God’s grace, we have another such minister who knows how to show the mirror to the West while defending our own interests, that is Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. In an CNN interview aired on October 31, the Indian minister responded like never before. Let me break the entire interview into bits and pieces to better understand the economics lesson delivered by Puri to the CNN journalist.
CNN journalist attempts to guilt trip India
There have been umpteen attempts to guilt-trip India and its leaders regarding its purchases of Russian oil, and the CNN interview was no different. The CNN journalist, Becky Anderson, claimed that India is benefiting from the purchases of discounted Russian oil, but when asked about its qualms about continuing to buy Russian oil, the minister replied, “Let me first try and correct your perspective.” We ended the financial year on March 31, 2022, and the purchases of Russian oil was 0.2 percent, not 2 percent. “We only brought a quarter of the oil of what Europe buys in one afternoon.”
Puri mentioned that they have a moral duty towards the consumers, and there is simply no moral conflict in buying Russian oil. Rather, India will buy X, Y, or Z from wherever available. It was simply delivered to the CNN journalist that India will buy oil as per its interest and that there exists no conflict.
Puri gives an Economics lesson to CNN journalist
India has always put forward simple economics, which these western nations fail to understand, and Puri did the same in a rather scathing way. Puri mentioned that India has a population of 1.3 billion and it needs to be ensured that they are supplied with energy.
To further add, he said that India is the only country in the world whose government has reduced its revenue in order to contain petrol prices when it was feeding 800 million people three meals a day.
In a rather simple yet necessary economics lesson to the CNN journalist, Puri elaborated on what would happen if any country would not buy Russian oil: there would be inflation and recession, something that can already be witnessed in Europe. Through this, the minister addressed the increase in oil prices after the West and the US banned purchases of Russian oil, and he said, “First, you should address this question to the EU and the US because if India didn’t buy or someone else didn’t buy Russian oil and it goes off the market, what would happen to international prices?” “…Prices will go up to USD 200.”
Puri wakes up CNN journalist from the colonial slumber
There is nothing new about the US and the European Union forcing other countries to toe their line. Upon being asked about India’s cooperation with the G7 stance, Puri said that the proposal is yet to be formalised and asked for whom the price cap is aimed at seeing Russian gas go to China through the pipeline or Japan buying it.
Quote, “If the EU wants to come up with something, they will talk to us, we will examine- what is on offer now. We have a situation where Hungarian oil could come through the pipeline and it’s exempt from the so-called price cap. Russian oil goes to China through the pipeline, it is exempt, and Japan can buy. I want to find to whom the price cap is aimed.”
Upon being asked about the consequences of not toeing the US line, Puri said, “I don’t answer hypothetical questions.” “I think this is something (conflict) that you are creating in a TV studio”—timing as above. Puri said that unlike the West, India has its backup plan ready and how India is transitioning into a green energy economy
Support TFI:
Support us to strengthen the ‘Right’ ideology of cultural nationalism by purchasing the best quality garments from TFI-STORE.COM