'Divide and rule principle': Sitharaman slams justifying Navarro's remark

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman criticised attempts to justify US trade adviser Peter Navarro's "Brahmins profiteering" remark, calling it a colonial divide-and-rule tactic

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said that attempts to justify United States (US) trade adviser Peter Navarro’s description of “Brahmins profiteering” resemble a colonial divide-and-rule strategy, News18 reported.

 

“It is one thing for a foreign government head of state or official to say all of that and the global diplomatic world is astonished that kind of expression is being used against India,” Sitharaman said in an interview with the television channel. 

 

Colonial justification, says finance minister

She criticised the Opposition for attempting to explain away Navarro’s words, adding that it amounted to repeating imperialist tactics.

 

“What hurts me more is when those very expressions are justified in India: ‘Oh you dirty, unwashed Indians, you don’t understand what this expression means’. This is divide-and-rule principle of British imperialists and friends of imperialists are telling us you don’t know what this means,” she said.

 

Sitharaman said she was outraged by efforts to justify Navarro’s remarks. “Who actually wants us to know better, and are explaining to us. I am outraged, I don’t want such explanations. This colonial justification of language used against Indians… It is also about being atmanirbhar, which includes self-respect,” she said.

 

Navarro’s ‘Brahmins profiteering’ comment sparks row

Navarro had triggered controversy after saying “Brahmins” were profiteering at the expense of the Indian people and that it needed to stop. The debate has since centred on whether he was referring to caste in India or the term “Boston Brahmins”, once used to describe wealthy elites in New England.

 

The remarks followed the US decision to impose a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including a 25 per cent penalty for importing Russian crude oil, amid growing partnerships between India, China and Russia.

 

“India is the maharaja of tariffs. They have the highest tariffs in the world. They export a bunch of stuff. So, who gets hurt? Workers in America, taxpayers, Ukrainians. Modi is a great leader. I don’t understand why he is getting into bed with Putin and Xi Jinping when India is the biggest democracy in the world. I would simply say this to Indian people to understand what is going on here. You have got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people, and we want that to stop,” Navarro told Fox News.

 

India will continue buying Russian oil, says Sitharaman 

On the US penalty on Indian goods for buying Russian oil, Sitharaman said India will continue to purchase from Russia.

 

“India will continue to buy Russian oil. It is our decision to buy what suits our needs, where we buy our oil from, we will have to take a call on it,” she told News18.