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Justifying the 50% tariff on India over buying Russian oil, White House adviser Peter Navarro accused Brahmins of the country of “profiteering at the expense of the Indian people”
White House adviser Peter Navarro has consistently targeted India following a major downturn in ties between Washington and New Delhi over the Trump administration’s policies on trade and tariffs. (Image: AFP/File)
The uproar over White House adviser Peter Navarro’s ‘Brahmin’ remark to justify US tariffs on India has only intensified with some raging over it while others try to figure out the “real” meaning behind it and some are even endorsing it.
Congress leader Pawan Khera called Navarro’s remark “baseless” but his colleague Udit Raj endorsed it saying he “couldn’t agree more”. Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose, meanwhile, pondered over the meaning behind the usage and said he, in all likelihood, referred to the “Boston Brahmins” – a term used for the wealthy elite in the US and UK while Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi cast doubt over why such a term was being used at all at a time when India and the US were in a tariff tussle.
Udit Raj said he agrees with Navarro’s remark claiming that private Indian oil refiners belonged to upper castes, who are buying cheap oil from Russia, refining it, and selling it to other countries.
“I couldn’t agree more @RealPNavarro. Indeed private Indian oil refiners are from upper caste and it may take decades, may be centuries that so called lower castes would reach to the position of oil refiners. It is true that upper caste corporate houses are buying cheep oil from Russia and after the refining, selling it to other countries. Indian people are not getting any benefits from it,” (sic) Raj said in a post on X.
Pawan Khera, however, criticised the remark. “America should not make baseless statements like this,” Khera told news agency ANI.
Sagarika Ghose said the term “Brahmin” is currently used to describe the social or economic “elites” in Britain, and that the term “Boston Brahmin” was once used in the US, referring to the wealthy elite of New England.
““Boston Brahmin” was once a widely used term in the US to refer to the American New England wealthy elite. “Brahmin” is still a term used in the English speaking world to denote social or economic “elites” ( in this case the rich). The illiteracy on X is astonishing,” Ghose said on X.
“Boston Brahmin” was once a widely used term in the US to refer to the American New England wealthy elite. “Brahmin” is still a term used in the English speaking world to denote social or economic “elites” ( in this case the rich). The illiteracy on X is astonishing.— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) September 1, 2025
Priyanka Chaturvedi, meanwhile, said Navarro’s statement cannot “come out of the blue in India’s context”.
“Peter Navarro’s Invocation of a particular caste identity in India to make his point, even if it is to imply the ‘privileged lot’ vis a vis the rest , is shameful and sinister. PS: spare me sermons on usage of the word Brahmins in American context,” Chaturvedi wrote on X. “The usage of the word Brahmin (yes elite Boston Brahmins US context am aware) by someone senior in US Administration cannot come out of the blue in India’s context, this was deliberate. So please sit out on explaining this one.”
Peter Navarro’s Invocation of a particular caste identity in India to make his point, even if it is to imply the ‘privileged lot’ vis a vis the rest , is shameful and sinister. PS: spare me sermons on usage of the word Brahmins in American context. https://t.co/p011r9MwdL— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) September 1, 2025
Indian economist and member of the PM’s economic advisory council, Sanjeev Sanyal also responded to the issue stating that the comments indicate who controls the narrative about India inside the US.
“This latest jibe from Navarro – that “Brahmins are profiteering” from Russian oil – tells us a lot about who controls narratives about India and Hindus inside the policy/intellectual spaces of America. This is derived directly from 19th century colonial jibes going back to the likes of James Mill. Edward Said’s point about Orientalism is perhaps more correct for India than his original thesis on Middle East,” Sanyal wrote on X.
WHAT DID PETER NAVARRO SAY?
In a new rant against India for its purchases of Russian oil, Navarro once again took a strident position justifying US President Donald Trump’s decision to levy a 50 percent tariff on Indian imports, now making a caste-based remark on the issue and accusing the Brahmins of the country of “profiteering at the expense of the Indian people”.
Referring to India as “nothing but a laundromat for the Kremlin”, during an interview with Fox News on Monday, he accused New Delhi of enabling trade imbalances and geopolitical alliances that run counter to US interests.
He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy approach while calling him a “great leader”, suggesting that India’s engagement with Russia and China undermines its status as the world’s largest democracy.
“And on top of that, by the way, 25 percent or 50 percent is because India is the Maharaja of tariffs. They have the highest tariffs in the world. They won’t let us sell to them, so who gets hurt, workers in America, taxpayers in America… Ukrainians in cities are getting killed by Russian drones,” he said.
He added: “So, you know, look, Modi’s a great leader… But I don’t understand why he’s getting into bed with Putin and Xi Jinping…when he’s the leader of the biggest democracy in the world. I would just simply say to the Indian people. Please, understand what’s going on here. You’ve got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people. We need that to stop.”
Navarro has consistently targeted India over the last few days following a major downturn in ties between Washington and New Delhi over Trump’s policies on trade and tariffs.
Defending its purchase of Russian crude oil, India has maintained that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics. Russia has emerged as India’s top energy supplier since the West slapped sanctions on its crude oil after the invasion of Ukraine.
Navarro has previously described the Ukraine conflict as “Modi’s war” and said the “road to peace” runs partly “right through New Delhi”. The US has refrained from criticising China, the largest importer of Russian crude oil.
(With agency inputs)
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st…Read More
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st… Read More
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