Former Maharashtra chief minister and Congress veteran Prithviraj Chavan stoke fresh controversy on Tuesday after asking if US President would kidnap Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He was referring to the capture of Venezuela PM Nicolas Maduro by the US security forces. Referring to the American military action in South America, Chavan asked whether the US will resort to such coercive tactics on India.
Mumbai, Maharashtra: Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan says, "With a 50 percent tariff, trade is simply not possible. In effect, this amounts to blocking India–US trade, especially exports from India to the United States. Since a direct ban cannot be imposed, tariffs have been… pic.twitter.com/VY1QQVO3XL
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“The question then is: what next? Will something like what happened in Venezuela happen in India? Will Mr Trump kidnap our prime minister?" asked Chavan, who formerly served as the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office.
Pointing out that the proposed 50 per cent tariff would effectively cripple India's trade with the US, Chavan said, "Since a direct ban cannot be imposed, tariffs have been used as a tool to stop trade. India will have to bear this."
"The profits that our people earlier earned from exports to the US will no longer be available. We will have to look for alternative markets and efforts in that direction are already underway," he added.
However, the BJP was quick to clap back at the Congress leader, alleging that his party was undermining India's sovereignty.
BJP National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari took to X, saying, "CONGRESS SINKS TO NEW LOW EVERYDAY. Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan shamelessly comparing India’s situation with Venezuela. By asking whether ‘what happened in Venezuela can happen in India’, Congress is making its anti-India mindset clear. Rahul Gandhi wants chaos in Bharat. Rahul Gandhi is seeking foreign intervention in Bharat’s affairs!"
This comes a day after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge slammed Modi. "I do not understand why Modi is bending before him. This is harmful for the nation. You were not elected as prime minister to nod to whatever he says."
