A fresh political storm has broken out after senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan questioned the implications of aggressive US trade measures on India, drawing a controversial comparison with recent developments in Venezuela. His remarks have triggered a fierce counterattack from the BJP, which accused the Congress of weakening India’s global image.

Speaking on the potential impact of steep US tariffs on Indian exports, Chavan warned that such measures could cripple bilateral trade. Referring to the US military action that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, he raised a provocative hypothetical scenario, asking whether similar pressure tactics could ever be directed at India.

Chavan argued that a proposed tariff of around 50 percent would make exports commercially unviable, effectively amounting to a trade blockade without a formal ban. He said Indian businesses would bear the brunt of such policies, losing access to key markets and revenue streams.

The BJP reacted strongly, branding Chavan’s remarks irresponsible and damaging. Party leaders accused the Congress of drawing false equivalences and projecting India as vulnerable on the international stage. BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari, in a post on social media, said the comparison exposed what he described as the Congress party’s “anti-India mindset,” alleging that it was seeking to internationalise India’s internal and strategic matters.

According to the BJP, such statements undermine India’s democratic institutions and strategic autonomy, especially at a time when the country is positioning itself as a major global power.