Senior Maharashtra Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday criticised New Delhi’s silence on the unfolding crisis in Venezuela and warned of serious implications for India’s global standing.

Addressing reporters, Chavan asked whether India could face a similar situation like Venezuela.

“The question then is: what next? Will something like what happened in Venezuela happen in India? Will Mr. Trump kidnap our Prime Minister?’’ he asked.

Chavan said the developments were “against the United Nations Charter” and cautioned that such actions could set a dangerous precedent globally.

The former Maharashtra chief minister alleged that the government had consistently avoided taking firm positions on major international conflicts.

“India has not spoken as usual, not taken a stand on the Venezuela matter. Russia and China have taken a stand and criticised what America has done,” he said.

Chavan added, “The same thing happened in the Ukraine war. We did not take any side. We did not take any stand on the Israel-Hamas matter, and now here we are, so scared of Americans that we are not even trying to criticise what has happened.”

According to Chavan, Venezuela’s vast energy reserves lay at the centre of the crisis. “This whole investigation is based on Venezuela because Venezuela has the largest oil store in the world, and America has an eye on them, on how oil is used as a weapon,” he said.

Chavan maintained that while sections of the international community had criticised the US action, India had chosen not to speak out. “The international community has criticised this, and India is silent like always,” he said.

Chavan questioned whether the country could aspire to leadership roles without clear diplomatic positions.

“If we say that India is our third largest economy, then you will have to take a stand. If you want to become a permanent member of the Security Council, then you will have to play a role. This is not going to work,” he said.

“You cannot please both sides. In this regard, you have to take a stand. There is something wrong in this,” he added, calling for India to speak “at the high table” as part of the international community.

This is not the first time Chavan has courted controversy. The former Maharashtra chief minister had earlier made explosive claims regarding Operation Sindoor, alleging that India suffered a setback on the very first day of the operation.

He had claimed that Indian aircraft were shot down during the four-day conflict and that the Indian Air Force was effectively grounded due to the risk of further losses.

He further alleged that in a brief aerial engagement on the first day, India was “completely defeated”, and that fighter jets stationed at bases such as Gwalior, Bathinda and Sirsa faced a high probability of being targeted.

Those remarks had drawn strong rebuttals from defence experts and the government, which rejected his claims as factually incorrect and damaging to the morale of the armed forces.