‘Who Decides Our Oil Policy?’ Rahul Gandhi Warns Hormuz War Threatens India, Raises Oil Minister's Epstein Links
Leader of the Opposition in India's Lower House of Parliament Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi today mounted a wide-ranging attack on the government and linked the widening West Asia war, India’s energy security and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while questioning whether India’s oil policy is being influenced by Washington.
Speaking during a parliamentary debate, Rahul Gandhi warned that the conflict could trigger serious economic repercussions for India because of its dependence on Gulf energy supplies and the vulnerability of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a large share of India’s oil and gas imports pass.
 |
| File Photo: LoP RaGa |
He said the conflict had already reached a point where global energy flows were being disrupted. “The central artery through which 20 percent of global oil flows, the Strait of Hormuz, has been closed,” he said, before warning that the consequences for India could be severe.
“This is going to have tremendous repercussions, particularly for us, because a very large portion of our oil and natural gas comes through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Rahul Gandhi argued that the economic shock was beginning to ripple through the domestic economy, and cited emerging concerns around fuel availability and supply chains.
“The pain has just started,” he said. “Restaurants are closing, there is widespread panic about LPG, street vendors are affected, and as I said, this is only the beginning.”
But the Congress leader also went beyond the immediate economic risks and framed the crisis as a deeper question about India’s strategic autonomy in energy policy.
The foundation of every single nation is its energy security. I do not say this lightly, but allowing the United States to decide who we buy oil from, whether we can buy oil from Russia or not, and whether our relationships with different oil suppliers can be decided by us - this… pic.twitter.com/AYDQubrvsS
— Congress (@INCIndia) March 12, 2026
“The foundation of every single nation is its energy security,” Rahul Gandhi said. “Allowing the United States to decide who we buy oil from, who we buy gas from, or whether we can buy oil from Russia or not — whether our relationships with different oil suppliers can be decided by us — this is what has been bartered.”
Calling the situation “puzzling,” he questioned why India would allow another country to influence such decisions. “Why would a nation the size of India allow any other country, or the president of another nation, to give us permission to buy Russian oil or decide who our relationships should be with?” he asked.
Rahul Gandhi’s remarks came in the context of the ongoing geopolitical pressure surrounding Russian energy imports since the Ukraine war and the broader debate over how India balances relations with the United States, Russia and Gulf energy suppliers.
The debate in Parliament also spilled over into controversy involving Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, after opposition members raised questions about references to Puri in documents linked to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to sex-related charges involving a minor and later faced extensive allegations of sex trafficking before his death in 2019.
Opposition leaders have cited previously reported correspondence involving Puri and Epstein, including emails and letters from the period when Puri served as a diplomat.
In one letter to entrepreneur Reid Hoffman, Puri wrote about Epstein: “On Jeffrey’s taste in people, I have no doubt. His instincts are even better.” In another email dated December 2014, Puri reportedly wrote to Epstein, “Please let me know when you are back from your exotic island,” a phrase referred to Little Saint James, the private island where many of Epstein’s alleged crimes took place.
A separate email also includes Puri addressing Epstein directly as “You, my friend, make things happen. Any advice?”
As everybody is aware, a war has broken out in the Middle East. The US, Israel, and Iran are at war. This war is going to have far-reaching consequences.
— Congress (@INCIndia) March 12, 2026
The central artery through which 20 percent of the global oil flows, the Strait of Hormuz, has been closed. And this is… pic.twitter.com/hccPDfMJvI
During earlier public remarks on the controversy, Puri had referred to Epstein’s 2008 conviction as involving “soliciting the favours of a woman who was underage”. This wording by a sitting Cabinet Minister minimized the scale and nature of the allegations surrounding Epstein’s activities.
Back in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi suggested that such connections raised troubling questions about whether key decision-makers in the energy sector could be vulnerable to external pressure.
The Congress leader has been repeatedly alleging that the situation pointed to a “compromise”. He now argued that India’s strategic decisions on oil procurement appeared increasingly aligned with American geopolitical preferences.
In the same intervention, Rahul Gandhi also sought to turn around a long-running political accusation often directed at him by leaders of the ruling party. For years, several BJP figures have caricatured the Congress leader as allegedly advancing the agenda of billionaire financier George Soros. This claim has been repeatedly used in political attacks against the opposition.
In Parliament, however, Rahul Gandhi suggested that questions about foreign links should instead be examined through documented financial and professional relationships involving those currently in government. Referring to publicly discussed material and saying he had “papers” in his possession, Rahul Gandhi raised questions about the professional engagements and funding connections involving Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s daughter.
We have a gentleman sitting here who is the Oil Minister (Hardeep Singh Puri).
— Congress (@INCIndia) March 12, 2026
He himself has said that he is a FRIEND of Mr. EPSTEIN.
I have a document which shows that his (Hardeep Singh Puri) daughter has received money from GEORGE SOROS.
: LoP Shri @RahulGandhi in Lok… pic.twitter.com/2oe7VN5Kzg
Indeed, if allegations of foreign influence are to be raised in political debates, they must be addressed consistently and transparently on the basis of documented records rather than partisan rhetoric.
The exchange, when viewed in larger context, shows a broader political battle over India’s foreign policy posture at a time when the West Asia war is beginning to affect global energy markets, shipping routes and supply chains.
India imports roughly 85 percent of its crude oil, with a substantial share historically sourced from the Gulf and transported through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints. Any sustained disruption to traffic through the narrow waterway could quickly push up shipping costs, insurance premiums and fuel prices across Asia.
The government has maintained that India’s energy procurement decisions remain guided by national interest and market considerations. Officials have repeatedly stated that India continues to diversify supply sources and has expanded purchases from multiple countries to ensure energy security.
If you like our reporting, you can add Indianrepublic.in as a preferred source on google here.
Read a Note on how we are covering the Iran War.
(Saket Suman is Editor at IndianRepublic.in, and the author of The Psychology of a Patriot.)