Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched a sharp critique on Thursday against the central government and the Congress party, accusing them of a "silent and submissive" stance regarding recent United States actions in Venezuela. He asserted that their position effectively legitimises a severe violation of a sovereign nation's rights.
Accusations of Obedience and Trivialisation
Addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayan claimed the Centre was failing to treat the issue with due seriousness, instead attempting to trivialise it while demonstrating "unquestioning obedience" to the US. He highlighted that an official statement from India's Ministry of External Affairs on the Venezuela situation notably avoided naming the United States.
The Chief Minister expressed dismay that the Indian government could not muster even a symbolic protest against what he described as repeated, sovereignty-insulting statements from a US president. He extended his criticism to the Congress, the principal opposition party, for adopting an identical approach.
In a pointed remark, Vijayan referenced repeated tariff threats against India by then-US President Donald Trump. He found it striking that a Congress-led government in Telangana was, at the same time, competing to name a road after Trump, despite his public threats to India's economic interests.
A History of Alleged Alignment and Imperialist Intervention
Vijayan rooted these positions in a long history of alignment with American interests, recalling movements he alleged were planned with CIA funding and involved sections of the media. He directly accused the United States of carrying out an imperialist intervention in Venezuela.
He detailed this intervention as involving the violation of Venezuela's sovereignty, the detention of its elected President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and an attempt to overthrow a democratic government through direct intervention and an economic blockade. The CM urged democratic-minded people worldwide to voice opposition against this "heartless and dangerous precedent."
Tracing a bloody record of US military interventions from Vietnam and Iraq to Syria, Libya, and Latin America, Vijayan alleged that millions were killed to safeguard American interests, with even weapons of mass destruction being used. He stated the consequences continue to haunt generations in countries like Japan and Vietnam, while devastation in Iraq and Syria pushed nations back decades and spread instability across West Asia.
A Warning for the Future and Call for Solidarity
The Kerala CM issued a stark warning: "What happened in Venezuela today could happen in any other country tomorrow." He drew a parallel with India's own diplomatic efforts following the Pahalgam terror attack by Pakistani militants, where India sought international support and sent delegations abroad to build global solidarity against terrorism.
Vijayan argued that the people of Venezuela are equally entitled to such international support when their sovereignty is under attack. He further accused sections of the media of trying to gloss over the American intervention, framing it as routine politics rather than a brutal assault on sovereignty and human values.
He concluded by emphasising that the abduction of a president and the attack on a nation should provoke anxiety and protest among ordinary people everywhere, regardless of attempts by influential sections to downplay these grave events.
