New Delhi [India], March 6 (ANI): Former Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi while criticising the Centre over the recent US waiver granted to Indian refiners to purchase oil from Russia.

In a post on X, Kejriwal questioned why India needed permission from the United States to buy oil from Russia. He alleged that in recent months the country had witnessed the Prime Minister repeatedly 'bowing' before Donald Trump and failing to speak up strongly.

'Who is America to grant India permission to buy oil from Russia? Why does India even need permission from America? In the past few months, the countrymen have watched in great anguish as, one after another, at every step, you have bowed before Trump, and you didn't even have the courage to speak up in front of him. Mr. Modi, what exactly is this compulsion of yours that has you bowing before Trump?,' Kejriwal wrote on 'X'.

He further said that India is a nation with a history of thousands of years and a population of 1.4 billion people, which has produced many brave leaders and warriors. Kejriwal added that never before had India bowed before any country in such a manner and claimed that the country's leadership had never appeared this weak.

'India is a country thousands of years old. India is a great nation of 1.4 billion people. India has produced one brave warrior after another. Never before has India bowed its head like this before any country. Never in Indian history has India's leadership been this weak. If you truly have some compulsion that Trump is exploiting, then for the sake of India and Indian interests, please resign. But do not bow India's head like this. All countrymen are in deep pain,' the 'X' post added.

This comes after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, 'President Trump's energy agenda has resulted in oil and gas production reaching the highest levels ever recorded. To enable oil to keep flowing into the global market, the Treasury Department is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil.'

'This deliberately short-term measure will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government as it only authorises transactions involving oil already stranded at sea. India is an essential partner of the United States, and we fully anticipate that New Delhi will ramp up purchases of U.S. oil. This stop-gap measure will alleviate pressure caused by Iran's attempt to take global energy hostage,' he added.

The waiver comes at a time when India continues to face potential risks linked to energy supply disruptions in the Middle East amid escalating tensions in West Asia after a joint US-Israel military strike on February 28 on Iranian territory resulted in the death of its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures.

India sources nearly 40 per cent of its oil imports from the region, with a significant portion transported through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. (ANI)