“Will Trump kidnap Indian PM?” Prithviraj Chavan’s remark sparks row
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Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has triggered a political controversy after questioning whether the United States could take actions against India similar to its recent operation in Venezuela, drawing sharp criticism and widespread ridicule on social media.
Referring to the US military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Chavan asked, “Will something like what happened in Venezuela happen in India? Will Mr Trump kidnap our prime minister?”
The remark was widely mocked online, with several users calling it absurd and irresponsible, especially given India’s status as a nuclear power.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police S P Vaid strongly criticised Chavan’s statement, calling it “humiliating for the entire country.”
“Thinking that what Trump did to Venezuela and Maduro should happen to Narendra Modi is humiliating for India. At least think before you speak,” Vaid said, questioning whether such remarks reflected the Congress party’s ideological stance.
Chavan’s comment came amid an ongoing political attack by the Congress leadership on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks and policy decisions, particularly steep tariffs imposed on Indian goods.
Earlier, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had accused Prime Minister Modi of being under pressure from Trump, citing an audio clip in which the US President claimed that India had shown willingness to reduce imports of Russian oil following US tariff measures.
Kharge mocked the perceived closeness between Modi and Trump, saying, “Trump said Modi wanted to make him happy. What does that mean? That Modi is under his control,” invoking a popular Bollywood reference to underline his criticism.
Despite the political sparring, official trade data shows that India’s exports to the US rose by 22.61 per cent to $6.98 billion in November, even after the imposition of tariffs. Between April and November of the current fiscal year, exports to the US increased by 11.38 per cent to $59.04 billion, while imports grew by 13.49 per cent to $35.4 billion.
Chavan defended his broader argument by warning that a 50 per cent tariff would severely impact India-US trade, forcing Indian exporters to seek alternative markets.