Modi remains silent, left hits streets opposing US attack on Venezuela, Maduro’s abduction

The world’s reaction to the US attack on Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Saturday, January 3rd, shows a major polarisation. On the one hand, many countries have condemned the US aggression, especially those in the Global South; on the other, some countries have endorsed the Pentagon’s move, saying they are “monitoring the situation”. 

Some have maintained a conspicuous silence for hours. South Asia is one of the regions where most countries have maintained absolute silence on the issue until late evening of Saturday.

Being the largest country in the region, India has been leading others by setting an example in maintaining diplomatic silence.

India, South Asia, remain silent on US attack on Venezuela

India and other South Asian countries have refrained from issuing any official statement until late evening on Saturday, although Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) kept posting on social media regarding other events.

Late Saturday evening, the MEA published an advisory for citizens travelling to Venezuela, while remaining silent on the US attack and the president’s abduction.

Advisory for Venezuela ⬇️

🔗 https://t.co/vz4hBkOhVx pic.twitter.com/hzJsL3WQBL

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) January 3, 2026

India shares a cordial relationship with Venezuela. Despite US sanctions, it hosted the fifth round of India-Venezuela Foreign Office Consultations in November. Still, Mr Modi and his MEA remain mute spectators as Donald Trump thumps his chest and announces Mr Maduro’s abduction on social media.

Despite facing punitive US tariffs on Indian exports, Mr Modi has avoided confronting Mr Trump and has only proactively supported the latter’s moves, including the controversial Gaza peace deal. 

India is a key member of multilateral blocs like BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Although other prominent members of these blocs, including Brazil, China, Iran and Russia, have strongly condemned US aggression on Venezuela and abduction of Mr Maduro and his wife, and pro-US members like Indonesia have endorsed the crime, New Delhi has remained silent.

China is deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the U.S.’s blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president.

Such hegemonic acts of the U.S. seriously violate international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threaten peace and security in Latin… pic.twitter.com/wjfRMhvNKP

— CHINA MFA Spokesperson 中国外交部发言人 (@MFA_China) January 3, 2026

Critics believe that Mr Modi, who is desperately seeking a rollback of Mr Trump’s punitive tariffs on Indian exports to save the country’s US-dependent export businesses, won’t take any stance that can irk the American president.

The Russian state media and India’s pro-government media establishments have depicted Mr Modi as a bold leader refusing to budge before American pressure. Yet, the prime minister has embarrassed them by remaining meek before the US’s muscle-flexing and crimes.

⚡️ The US committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela, which gives rise to deep concern & warrants condemnation.

The pretexts used to justify these actions are untenable.

Russia reaffirms its solidarity with the Venezuelan people.https://t.co/vDNHsbKxB9 pic.twitter.com/jZ50V4SLYB

— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) January 3, 2026

One of the reasons that has prolonged Mr Modi’s silence on the US attack on Venezuela and abduction of Mr Maduro is the latter’s left-wing credentials and ties with India’s left-wing forces.

As Mr Modi remains silent, India’s left has taken the centrestage, protesting the US attack on Venezuela and its illegal abduction of Mr Maduro.

Among Indian officials, only Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has openly condemned the US attack on Venezuela and the abduction of Mr Maduro.

“Strongly condemn the blatant imperialist aggression by the US on Venezuela by bombing various strategic centres. This reveals the vicious operation of a rogue state, fuelling unmasked hostility in the Global South for imposing its devious schemes. It’s also an act of terrorism, posing a threat to the tranquillity in Latin America, a continent with the legacy of enduring such onslaught and anti-imperialist struggles. All should rise in unity to call out this brazen assault on Venezuela and resist the imperialist moves against global peace (sic),” Mr Vijayan wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Strongly condemn the blatant imperialist aggression by the US on Venezuela by bombing various strategic centres. This reveals the vicious operation of a rogue state, fuelling unmasked hostility in the Global South for imposing its devious schemes. It’s also an act of terrorism,…

— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) January 3, 2026

India’s left raises voice, hits streets

“The Communist Party of India strongly condemns the blatant and criminal military aggression carried out by the United States of America against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, targeting civilian and military locations in Caracas and other regions of the country,” the Communist Party of India’s (CPI) National Secretariat stated.

CPI Condemns US Attack Against Venezuela pic.twitter.com/bu6v8Y5FOU

— CPI – Communist Party of India (@CPI_National) January 3, 2026

“This act is a gross violation of the UN Charter, international law, and the universally accepted principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference. Such imperialist adventurism gravely threatens peace and stability in Latin America and the Caribbean and endangers the lives of millions of Venezuelan people,” the CPI asserted.

The CPI (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Politbureau strongly condemned the US attack on Venezuela and the abduction of Mr Maduro and his spouse. “The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly condemns the blatant act of U.S. aggression on Venezuela by bombing various sites in the country (sic),” the statement said.

“This is the real face of the U.S. National Security Strategy 2025, announced in the first week of December 2025. The concentration of U.S. forces in the Western Hemisphere and open declaration of its intent to bring the entire region under its control represent the Trump corollary to the Monroe Doctrine (sic),” the CPI(M) Politbureau added.

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), affiliated to the CPI(M), staged a massive protest in Visakhapatnam. The CITU workers, participating in its 18th all-India conference, have hit the streets to raise their voice.

Trade unionists from across India who are in Visakhapatnam for the All India Conference of the @cituhq protested the illegal US attack on #Venezuela and the kidnapping of elected President #NicolasMaduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.
Over 1,500 delegates and volunteers staged a… pic.twitter.com/YjhvDq5vpu

— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) January 3, 2026

Meanwhile, the CPI (Marxist-Leninist Liberation) [CPI(M-L) Liberation] also condemned the US aggression targeting Venezuela and Mr Trump’s criminal act.

“This war is not just against Venezuela, but an open threat against every people in the region and across the world who strive to determine their own future free from imperialist dictates,” the CPI(M-L) Liberation’s Central Committee said.

“The same lies used to justify the invasion of Iraq, the seizure of its oil, and the devastation of its people are now recycled as so-called ‘narco-terrorism’ to justify a regime-change operation against President Maduro and the plunder of Venezuela, a country with largest oil reserves in the world (sic),” the party’s statement added.

The CPI also highlighted the oil angle behind Mr Trump’s adventurism and expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan government and people.

“The CPI declares its firm solidarity with the Government and people of Venezuela in their just struggle to defend national sovereignty, political independence, and the right to choose their own path of development. The real objective of this attack—to seize Venezuela’s oil and mineral resources and impose a forced regime change in alliance with reactionary oligarchic forces—will not succeed, as history has repeatedly shown,” the party stated.

At the same time, the CPI(M) demanded, “an immediate end to US aggression and withdrawal of all its troops from the Caribbean Sea.”

“Latin America should be declared a zone of peace, and the U.S. should not be allowed to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign countries (sic),” the CPI(M) Politbureau added.

“The UN Security Council should pass a Resolution condemning the U.S. aggression. International pressure must be mounted on the U.S. to immediately stop its aggression on Venezuela (sic),” the party demanded.

While CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby condemned the US aggression, calling it “international terrorism”, the CPI’s national secretary D Raja called it “criminal military aggression”.

The CPI(M-L) Liberation’s Central Committee accused Mr Trump of plotting to establish colonial rule in Venezuela. “Trump’s war on the people of Venezuela aims to impose a U.S.-backed colonial order. It seeks to crush the Bolivarian Revolution that overthrew a U.S.-supported oligarchy and returned the nation’s oil wealth to the people.  The war is to seize Venezuela’s oil once again for U.S. multinational corporations and install a puppet government to serve imperialist interests,” the party stated.

“This war is the latest chapter in the bloody history of U.S. intervention across Latin America and the Caribbean, manipulating elections, overthrowing democratically elected governments, subjugating people’s movements, unleashing bloodshed, and imposing destruction.  From Guatemala to Chile, from Grenada to Panama, the U.S. Monroe Doctrine, which treats the Latin American region as its “personal backyard” and which Trump seeks to reinforce, has always meant subjugation, exploitation, and repression, denying the peoples of the region their right to sovereignty and self-determination (sic),” the party added.

The CPI(M) demanded that the US immediately disclose the whereabouts of Mr Maduro and his wife. It demanded that Mr Modi’s government raise the issue with the US.

“The Government of India should raise its voice demanding the US to show proof of life and stand by the UN charter,” the CPI(M) Politbureau added.

All three major communist parties have expressed their solidarity with Venezuela.

“Stand in unyielding solidarity with the people of Venezuela as they defend their sovereignty and their right to determine their own political and economic course, free from imperialist interference,” the CPI(M-L) Liberation said, adding, “We call upon all democratic and peace-loving forces worldwide to stand against this imperialist aggression and the attempts to impose a new order of colonial subjugation under the Trump regime (sic).”

“We support Venezuela’s right to legitimate self-defence under the UN Charter and welcome its decision to raise this grave matter before international forums. The CPI calls upon all peace-loving peoples, democratic forces, and progressive governments across the world, including in India, to raise their voices against this imperialist aggression and to stand in active solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution and the Venezuelan people in defence of peace, sovereignty, and self-determination,” the CPI’s National Secretariat added.

Bangladesh communists oppose US aggression

Although communist parties play a major role in the subcontinent, Sri Lanka’s ruling communist party, the People’s Liberation Front (JVP), and Nepal’s former ruling parties, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and the Nepali Communist Party, remained nonchalant regarding the development. They haven’t issued any statement until late Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) has condemned the US aggression and issued a statement. 

“The air attacks launched against Venezuela are a clear manifestation of the lawlessness and arrogance of U.S. imperialism. Having failed to achieve its objectives through threats and blackmail, the U.S. administration has once again resorted to brute force (sic),” the CPB’s statement said.

“This attack is a direct assault on the free will and political choices of the people. It is part of Washington’s attempt to subjugate a region it has long been unable to reshape according to its interests, most notably due to socialist Cuba’s dignified resistance to imperialism and the strong anti-imperialist consciousness of the peoples of Latin America. This aggression constitutes a blatant violation of international law and is entirely illegitimate in both historical and social terms,” the party added.

Stating that the CPB “stands firmly with the people of Venezuela” in the face of the ongoing aggression, the party asserted it believes that “the Venezuelan people—who have steadfastly defended their sovereignty to this day—possess the collective strength and social resources needed to once again defeat these attacks.”

“The future of Venezuela will not be determined by the vision imposed by imperialism, but by the struggle for independence and socialism,” the CPB concluded.

Silence raises questions

Apart from India, the governments of other South Asian nations, including Bangladesh and Pakistan, have remained tight-lipped on the crisis unfolding in Venezuela. Critics allege that the strong bonds between Mr Trump’s administration and the governments of these two countries prevent them from speaking against Washington’s activities.

The silence maintained by governments in the region, including India, exhibits their dependence on the US for survival. While India aims to remain the preferred US strategic partner, other countries need the US for financial support. 

Recently, officials from Sri Lanka’s ruling JVP officials met with US officials. After Sri Lanka suffered due to a deadly cyclone in November, its economic recovery has been seriously disrupted. The JVP-led government needs the support of the West and its financial institutions more than ever. This will prevent them from officially challenging the US’s criminal actions.

Similarly, Nepal, undergoing a transition under an interim government, also has no mood to irk the US. Thus, it remains silent on the issue.

The overall silence of the South Asian countries on the US attack on Venezuela and abduction of Mr Maduro showcases how Washington has managed to take the region hostage through its economic prowess. Neither the governments of the region ignore the US nor can they truly exhibit solidarity with Venezuela, which reels under the American jackboot at present.

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