Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the US over what he described as “an unprecedented assault on Venezuela’s sovereignty”, calling upon democratic forces across the world to raise their voices against what he termed American “imperialist aggression”.
Speaking against the backdrop of escalating global tensions, Vijayan warned that the developments in Venezuela should be a matter of serious concern for people everywhere, as similar interventions could, he said, be repeated in any country in the future.
Referring to recent events, the Chief Minister alleged that the United States had intruded into Venezuela’s internal affairs and effectively taken the country’s elected leadership hostage, attempting to overthrow a democratically chosen government and impose economic blockades that he said were suffocating the Venezuelan people.
Such actions, Vijayan said, reflected a disturbing disregard for international law, human rights and basic humanitarian values.
Placing Venezuela in a broader historical context, the Chief Minister pointed to what he described as a long and violent record of US military interventions across different regions of the world.
From Vietnam to Iraq, Syria to Libya, and across several countries in Latin America, American interventions, he said, had resulted in large-scale civilian casualties and long-term devastation.
Millions of innocent people were killed in the pursuit of political and economic interests, Vijayan alleged, adding that even nuclear and chemical weapons had been deployed in the past, the consequences of which continue to affect future generations.
He said the destruction inflicted on countries such as Iraq and Syria had pushed them back by decades and destabilised the entire West Asian region.
Arguing that what Venezuela is facing today could happen anywhere, Vijayan said international solidarity was essential to resist such actions.
Drawing a parallel, he recalled how India sought global support after the terror attack in Pahalgam and sent special delegations abroad to build international consensus against terrorism.
“The same international solidarity is the right of the Venezuelan people today,” the Chief Minister said.
Vijayan also criticised the Union government, alleging that it was eager to downplay the issue and display what he described as subservience to the United States.
He pointed out that the statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs did not even name the United States and accused New Delhi of failing to protest against repeated statements by the US President which, according to him, insulted India and undermined its sovereignty.
The Chief Minister also took aim at the Congress, accusing the party of following a similar line. He cited the Telangana Congress government’s decision to name a road after US President Donald Trump even as Trump, he said, repeatedly threatened India with higher import tariffs.
Accusing sections of the media of echoing US narratives, Vijayan alleged that attempts were being made to gloss over what he described as a grave violation of a nation’s sovereignty.
He asserted that the actions taken by the United States against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife should evoke concern and protest among ordinary people committed to democracy and human dignity.
(IANS)
