Hardeep Singh Puri slams CNN Journalist after she tries to “guilt-trip” India about buying Russian oil, saying “Modi govt does not feel pressurised.”

Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, criticized CNN in an interview for attempting to guilt-trip the nation into buying oil from Russia (in the midst of an ongoing war against Ukraine).

Indian oil shipments from Russia were allegedly lowered as early as possible, and CNN journalist Becky Anderson claimed that India had no qualms about occupying of Ukraine. Hardeep S. Puri was outraged at the twisted and incorrect viewpoint of India’s oil imports.

Hardeep Sigh in the interview added that. “The percentage of Russian oil purchased during the previous fiscal year was 0.2%. What we buy from Russia in a quarter, Europe purchases in a single afternoon. Let’s be clear about the viewpoint.”

The Union Minister made it clear that in September of this year, Iraq was India’s top oil supplier. “Our moral responsibility is to our customers. With a population of 1.34 billion, we must make sure people have access to energy (whether it comes from petrol or diesel),” he said.

Puri explained, “The Government cut its revenue to make sure that gas prices did not increase… There are 60 million individuals using the petrol bunks”

He dismissed claims that India’s decision to purchase Russian energy was causing a “moral problem.” We won’t purchase from X or Y. We purchase whatever is supplied. Not me, I don’t buy. The oil firms are responsible. The purchasing is not done by the government. Economic entities carry out the oil trade, he emphasized.

He further added that, India has acquired oil from Guyana, Canada, and even the United States, the Union Petroleum Minister noted. Wherever we can get it, we’ll buy oil and gas,