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Nirmala Sitharaman Slams Indians Defending Trump Aide Navarro’s ‘Brahmins Profiteering’ Remarks
FM Nirmala Sitharaman (File Photo)
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman criticised Indians who defended US trade adviser Peter Navarro’s controversial remarks on “Brahmins", calling them “friends of imperialists,” reported Hindustan Times.
Navarro, who served as Donald Trump’s trade advisor, had claimed that “Brahmins” were benefiting from India’s purchase of Russian oil during the Ukraine war.
In a a Fox News interview, Navarro said, “Look (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi is a great leader... So I would just simply say, the Indian people, please understand what's going on here. You got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people. We need that to stop".
However, some in India pointed out that Trump’s tariff czar was probably borrowing from the American term ‘Boston Brahmins’, meaning old money elites.
Sitharaman dismissed such explanations in an interview with CNBC TV18.
The minister urged Indians not to validate Navarro’s language.
“I want those Indians who are now defending that language to get up and say, ‘We are free from you all now for over 75-80 years. We’ll mind our business, we’ll take care of ourselves. Refrain from using these words,’” she added.
She described the explanations emerging from India as “outrageous.”
