In 1965, as India grappled with war and a crippling food crisis, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri faced a United States that used wheat shipments under the PL-480 agreement as a lever to dictate Indian foreign policy. Shastri’s response remains legendary: he appealed to the nation to skip one meal a day. Millions of middle-class households complied, choosing temporary hunger over the sacrifice of national dignity. Today, India faces a modern equivalent in the energy sector, yet the leadership’s response stands in stark contrast to that era of self-reliance.
As global tensions rise between the United States, Israel, and Iran, India’s energy security has become a pawn in a larger geopolitical game. Under pressure from Washington, New Delhi has throttled its intake of Russian oil, receiving in return the indignity of "one-month exemptions" to trade. The question arises: Could Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following Shastri’s lead, appeal to the citizenry to curtail fuel consumption to break this cycle of dependence?
The reluctance to do so suggests a shift in priorities. While the nation’s strategic autonomy wavers, corporate interests appear to flourish. Recent announcements regarding Reliance Industries’ staggering ₹28 trillion investment in a U.S.-based refinery—reportedly amidst backroom negotiations for oil waivers—indicate a foreign policy increasingly tailored to benefit domestic conglomerates like Adani and Ambani rather than the common citizen.
This subordination marks a departure from the foundations laid by Jawaharlal Nehru, who championed the Non-Aligned Movement to ensure India never became a client state. Today, India risk appearing as a subordinate to both Washington and Beijing. No previous Prime Minister has so readily compromised the country’s self-respect for the sake of capitalist alliances.
Mahatma Gandhi’s "talisman" urged leaders to consider the weakest person before making a decision. By this metric, India’s current alignment is a failure of morality. In the conflicts involving Ukraine, Palestine, and Iran, India has adopted a wavering, inconsistent stance that often sides with the aggressor. This is a betrayal of the principles held by Gandhi and Nehru, which still command global respect. Gandhi famously noted that Palestine belongs to the Arabs as England belongs to the English; Nehru visited refugee camps during the 1948 Nakba to show solidarity. Today, that legacy of standing with the oppressed is being traded for a seat at a table where the terms are dictated by others.
The pursuit of "power" in the modern world is proving to be a mirage. Powerful nations view India primarily as a market to be exploited through favorable tariffs and transactional diplomacy. The spectacle of "Abki Baar, Phir Trump Sarkar" did little to shield India from subsequent trade hostilities or the condescension of a U.S. leadership that views New Delhi as a junior partner following instructions.
The United States and Israel continue to operate through neo-imperialist frameworks—whether seizing oil reserves in Venezuela or proposing a "Board of Peace" for Gaza that excludes Palestinians from their own future. By ignoring the United Nations and flouting international law, these powers have torn the fabric of global democracy.
The time has come for India to reclaim its soul. We must stand with the victims—the people of Palestine, Ukraine, and Iran—rather than the bullies. The people of India remain committed to the ideals of human rights and sovereignty. It is now up to the government to decide if it will represent the spirit of its people or the interests of its creditors.
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Arundhati Dhuru is associated with the National Alliance of People’s Movements; Sandeep Pandey is the national general secretary of the Socialist Party (India)
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