Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 19 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Prakash Reddy on Sunday lashed out at senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh over his 'Mauni Baba' remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the latter was responding to US President Donald Trump's claims with actions.

'PM Modi, instead of responding verbally, is responding with actions. It is unfortunate that Congress will never understand what India, the BJP and our Prime Minister are. Let him not understand everything. But giving such derogatory statements, Congress is demonising its position,' Reddy told ANI.

The BJP leader labelled the remarks made by Ramesh against PM Modi as 'derogatory'.

'It's unfortunate that a person like Jairam Ramesh, who is considered to be a learned person, is giving such derogatory statements on our Prime Minister, saying that the Prime Minister is a 'Maun Muni' or 'Mauni Baba',' Reddy said.

He further stated that India has cleared its position on claims made by Trump.

'The government of India has cleared its position on statements given by Trump. Our external affairs minister and defence minister have clarified many times. Our prime minister also clarified. Unfortunately, whenever Trump gives a statement, Jairam Ramesh reacts,' Reddy added.

His remarks come after Jairam Ramesh on Saturday questioned the silence of PM Modi on the claims made by Donald Trump regarding 'India agreeing not to purchase oil from Russia'. The Congress Rajya Sabha MP has time and again questioned PM Modi's silence on previous claims made by Trump as well, regarding 'stopping India and Pakistan war'.

Ramesh had posted on X, saying, 'President Trump has yet again said that he has been assured by his good friend that India will cut back on its imports of oil from Russia. But that good friend suddenly becomes a Mauni Baba whenever President Trump says he stopped Operation Sindoor and now when he says that India will reduce its imports of oil from Russia.'

A day after India responded to the claims made by the US President about PM Modi's assurance to halt Russian oil purchases, Trump on Friday (local time) reiterated his assertion while claiming that New Delhi has already 'de-escalated and more or less stopped' its purchase from Moscow.

While addressing a bilateral lunch with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House, the US President again claimed that India had significantly reduced its oil imports from Russia and is now pulling back entirely, stating that New Delhi 'will not be buying oil from Russia anymore.'

'India is not going to be buying Russian oil anymore, and Hungary is sort of stuck because they have one pipeline that's been there for years, and they're inland; they don't have sea, and I spoke with their leader... but India will not be buying oil from Russia,' Trump said.

'They already de-escalated and more or less stopped. They are pulling back. They bought about 38 per cent of the oil, and they wouldn't be doing it anymore,' he added.

Trump's remarks came in reference to the ongoing geopolitical pressure on countries to reduce their energy ties with Russia in the wake of the conflict in Ukraine, which the West claims is fuelling Moscow's military operation in the region.

Earlier, India responded to comments made by Trump about PM Modi's assuring him to halt Russian oil purchases, stating that the country's energy sourcing is guided by its national interests and the need to protect Indian consumers. (ANI)