Peter Navarro’s “Brahmin profiteering” comment rejected by India as untrue.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro’s comments were rejected by the ministry of external affairs on Friday, which referred to them as “inaccurate.” Randhir Jaiswal, a MEA spokeswoman, stated in a statement, “We have seen some inaccurate statements made by him. We reject them.”

Navarro had previously asserted that “Brahmins” are making money off of Indians while supporting US President Donald Trump’s 50% tariff on goods from India. Trump’s adviser has previously made controversial remarks; in recent months, he has frequently attacked India for importing Russian oil while attempting to justify the additional 25% tariff that Trump placed on New Delhi.

In an interview with Fox News, Navarro discussed India’s purchase of Russian oil when he asserted that India had minimal interaction with Russian petroleum before to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“What happened? Well, the Russian refiners went in and got into bed with big oil India. Putin gives (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi a discount on the crude. They refine it and they ship it to Europe, Africa and Asia at a big premium and they make a ton of money,” he said.

Trump aide said he failed to understand why India was deepening ties with Moscow and Beijing. “I would just say the Indian people, please, understand what’s going on here. The Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of the Indian people. We need that to stop,” he added.

New Delhi, meanwhile, has continuously defended its energy sourcing, arguing that security concerns and market realities drive purchases.

According to India, its policy is “driven by what is available in markets and the current global situation,” and it is established by “national security imperatives and strategic assessments.”