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Ajay Bhutoria calls Navarro’s Brahmin comment inflammatory
Bhutoria said that the recent comments by Peter Novarro are harmful to the US-India ties.
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Pranavi Sharma - Mon, 01, Sep 2025
- 01:23 EDT
- 36
Trump trade advisor Peter Navarro and India community leader Ajay Bhutoria. / X
Indian American community leader and former Joe Biden advisor Ajay Bhutoria has condemned remarks made by Peter Navarro, a trade advisor to President Donald Trump. Navarro, speaking in a Fox News interview, accused India’s Brahmin community of profiting from Russian oil purchases, a statement Bhutoria said was “deeply disturbing".
“As an Indian American, I am deeply disturbed and strongly condemn the recent statement made by Peter Navarro,” Bhutoria said. He pointed to Navarro’s claim — “I want Indians to understand what is going on. Brahmins are profiteering by buying Russian oil at the expense of the Indian people” — and called it inflammatory.
Bhutoria argued the comments reinforced stereotypes. “This rhetoric is an affront to the 5.5 million Indian Americans who contribute significantly to the fabric of this nation,” he said. He added that such divisive remarks undermine the US-India relationship, which is built on shared values and economic cooperation.
He urged political leaders and the media to “reject such harmful narratives” and to work toward strengthening bilateral ties. “We, as a community, deserve respect and unity, not division based on outdated or discriminatory tropes,” Bhutoria said.
Navarro, known for shaping Trump’s tariff policy, was asked during the Fox News segment if tariffs on India were sufficient to pressure Russia. He described India as the “Maharaja of Tariffs” and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s relations with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. “Modi is a great leader, but I do not understand why he is getting in bed with Putin and Xi Jinping when India is the world’s largest democracy,” Navarro said.
ALSO READ: Trump Advisor Peter Navarro Targets Brahmins in Latest Attack on India
The remarks drew responses in India as well.
Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said on X that Navarro’s invocation of caste to make a political point was “shameful and sinister".
Shesh Paul Vaid, former Director General of Police in Jammu and Kashmir, also criticized Navarro’s comments. “It wouldn’t have made a difference if he had said Muslims, Dalits, Christians, or Sikhs instead of Brahmins because the real goal of the US administration is clear: to weaken the Modi government by dividing society and creating chaos,” he wrote. Vaid argued that India’s purchase of Russian oil has helped control inflation and stabilize fuel prices globally.
Navarro has not issued further clarification on his comments.
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