'Profiteering Brahmins': Did Navarro really target an Indian community?
Apart from referring to the 'highest' Hindu caste, 'Brahmin' also applies to an intellectual or socially elite person/family; obviously, Trump's aide meant the latter
White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro’s “Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of the Indians” jibe at New Delhi over its purchase of Russian oil has sparked a fresh controversy in the country.
A section of Opposition leaders including Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs Sagarika Ghose and Saket Gokhale, claim that Navarro was referring to social elites. They have pointed out the term 'Boston Brahmins', referring to a group of Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs) from Boston who traditionally represented the American upper class.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi argued that Navarro was referring to a “particular caste identity” in India.
What does 'Brahmin' mean?
While the word “Brahmin” originally referred to a particular caste identity, over time it was also used to refer to the social elite. It was adapted in the English language, just like the word 'guru', which now refers to anyone who is an expert in a field.
The Oxford Dictionary defines “Brahmin” as “a Hindu who belongs to the caste (= division of society) that is considered the highest, originally that of priests”.
As for the Cambridge Dictionary, the word “Brahmin” is defined in the US context. “A member of a group of people who hold a high social position and who are usually well educated, especially people from the northeastern states of the US,” states the Cambridge Dictionary’s definition of “Brahmin”.
“In Florida, the formal Boston Brahmin looks as out of place as a New England pine in the Everglades,” it adds.
Also Read: Trump aide Peter Navarro claims India's 'Brahmins profiteering' from Russian oil trade
Similar to Scott Bessent’s remark
“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,” Navarro said.
Rather than a reference to a specific caste identity, his remark seems to be on a similar line with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s earlier comment alleging that the “richest families in India” were making a profit from India’s purchase of cheap and sanctioned Russian oil.
“They are reselling, they made $16 billion on excess profits — some of the richest families in India,” said Bessent as quoted by Bloomberg. He also said that “India is just profiteering”.
Also Read: Trump defends tariffs after federal court ruling, thanks Obama-appointed judge
Apparent jibe at India’s ‘oil lobby’
Navarro’s “Brahmins” seems to be referring to “India's Big Oil lobby”, which he earlier alleged was turning the country into a “massive refining hub and oil money laundromat for the Kremlin.”
“Indian refiners buy cheap Russian oil, process it, and export fuels to Europe, Africa, and Asia - shielded from sanctions under the pretence of neutrality," Navarro had stated in a series of posts on X.