Prithviraj Chavan
Credit: PTI Photo
Veteran Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan stoked a major controversy in the wake of the international debate involving the United States-Venezuela standoff saying - “Will Trump Sahab kidnap our Prime Minister” - a statement that he made in respect of the tariff issue between India and America.
“With a 50 percent tariff, trade is simply not possible,” said Chavan, a former Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office.
Chavan linked the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in the CIA-backed Delta Force-executed unprecedented operation with the India-US tariff issue.
The 2025 tariffs have been a big diplomatic issue between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.
“The high 50 per cent tariff amounts to blocking India–US trade, especially exports from India to the United States. Since a direct ban cannot be imposed, tariffs have been used as a tool to stop trade. India will have to bear this,” said Chavan.
“We will have to look for alternative markets, and efforts in that direction are already underway.... The question then is: what next?….Will something like what happened in Venezuela happen in India? Will Trump Sahab kidnap our Prime Minister?,” he added in what sparked off a controversy.
Chavan faced immediate backlash on social media platforms even as the BJP hit out at the former Chief Minister.