US Official Marco Rubio Visits India, Discussing Energy and Domestic Politics

New Delhi: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday (October 21) described protests as a sign of political discourse and differences of opinion, while asserting that he will not comment on India’s internal affairs, as he travelled to Gujarat after meetings with the heads of the Adani and Tata groups in Mumbai. Asked about protests in India and criticism of the concomitant crackdown by United Nations experts , Rubio dismissed the experts as an “oxymoron”, before saying that he would not comment on domestic political matters. The Trump administration has withdrawn from the UN Human Rights Council and other UN organisations and it has not paid its dues to the world body . “This is a democracy. They have elections here, so I’m not going to opine on their domestic political matters,” he told reporters at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, adding that protests in any country could reflect “political discourse” and “differences of opinion”. “But in many ways, the fact that people are out there expressing themselves – I’m not talking about India; in any country in the world – is the sign that this is a country where there’s political discourse and so forth and differences of opinion. So, the fact that you – you just said a moment ago as part of your question “the opposition.” Well, that – there’s no – for example, like there – in Cuba there is no opposition, like – that can actually go out and do anything without going to jail and being oppressed or – and exiled,” he said He distinguished them from what he described as riots in Europe involving vandalism, break-ins and arson. “We have protests every day in the United States because we’re – I mean, people view protests – I mean, obviously, I’m not talking about the riots, like what you’re seeing in Europe, where they’re vandalising and breaking into things and burning down buildings. I’m not talking about that.” He added that the protests were for the Indian people to consider. “We’re not going to comment on internal political matters. That’s for the Indian people to decide and navigate,” he said. Also read: Six US Lawmakers Urge Rubio to Take up Excessive Use of Force on Protesters During India Visit The remarks came as Rubio began the second day of his India visit with meetings with Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group, and N. Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, before travelling to Jamnagar in Gujarat for engagements at Reliance Industries’ facilities. The meeting with Adani was the first between the industrialist and a senior Trump administration cabinet official since a US federal judge dismissed the criminal case against him in August, after the Department of Justice decided to drop the charges. Neither the US side nor the Indian business groups disclosed details of the Mumbai meetings. The schedule circulated to the travelling press marked both as closed press engagements, and the subsequent visit to Reliance’s facilities in Jamnagar was also closed to the media. Rubio’s visit to Jamnagar comes as Washington seeks to expand American energy sales to India and encourage Reliance to process more Venezuelan crude. The US secretary of state said on Tuesday that the company’s ability to refine heavy crude made it a potential partner as Venezuela increases production. Asked on Wednesday whether he was seeking a specific investment commitment or changes in Reliance’s oil sourcing, Rubio said the visit was an opportunity to examine the company’s operations and discuss broader cooperation. “Obviously that’s something that on the energy field the Department of Energy would be very involved on the details of any specific ask,” he said. “I think for us it’s more an opportunity to see their operations and have a broader discussion about their presence globally at a time in which energy is featuring prominently in many of the geopolitical decisions that are being made.” He said Reliance had substantial refining capacity and an existing investment presence in the United States, adding that he expected discussions to cover its ability to process heavy crude from the Western Hemisphere, including Venezuela. The Jamnagar complex has a crude-processing capacity of about 1.4 million barrels per day, making it the world’s largest single-site oil refinery. Its ability to process heavy and extra-heavy crude is particularly relevant to Washington’s interest in finding markets for increased Venezuelan production. Also read: Rubio Pushes US Energy Sales to India, Says Trade Deal Is Close During India Visit Rubio has argued that additional Venezuelan supplies could help ease pressure on global energy markets, although he has acknowledged that they would not fully compensate for disruptions elsewhere. The Reliance visit has a wider commercial dimension. The conglomerate is backing a proposed $300 billion refinery project in Brownsville, Texas, announced by US President Donald Trump in March. The project has been presented as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to expand domestic energy production. US ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who accompanied Rubio to Reliance’s Jamnagar facilities, highlighted the energy relationship in a post on X on Wednesday. “Over the past year, India’s imports of US LPG have surged from under 10% to 67%, making the United States India’s largest LPG supplier,” Gor wrote . He described Reliance’s planned investment in the first new US oil refinery in 50 years as another opportunity to expand American energy production and create jobs. Rubio was scheduled to tour Reliance’s refinery complex, the Vantara animal rescue and rehabilitation centre and the conglomerate’s planned green-energy manufacturing facilities. His schedule also listed a dinner with Reliance chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani at Vantara . The US secretary of state was scheduled to stay overnight in Jamnagar, a change from the original itinerary, and return to Mumbai on Thursday.