Why should India need another country’s approval to secure its energy needs, asks T.N. CM Stalin

Following reports that the US has “allowed” India to import Russian oil for 30 days to help cushion the rise in oil prices, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday, March 6, 2026, asked why India should need another country’s approval to meet its own energy needs.

“When the US decides to allow India to buy Russian oil for just 30 days, it raises a fundamental question: Why would India need another country’s approval to secure its own energy needs?” Mr. Stalin asked in a social media post.

Referring to the sinking of the Iranian naval ship IRIS Dena by the US shortly after participating in India’s International Fleet Review 2026 naval exercise in Visakhapatnam, Mr Stalin said this incident was “equally disturbing”. “India cannot appear silent or passive when a ship coming to India as part of a multinational exercise faces such a fate,” he added.

Mr Stalin claimed that the BJP government at the Center appeared to have “completely compromised India’s long tradition of strategic autonomy and independent foreign policy”. Mr. Stalin said India’s honor in the international arena must be protected and the nation’s sovereignty and interests must be defended.