Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], January 8 (ANI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday strongly condemned the recent United States military actions in Venezuela, accusing Washington of undermining the sovereignty of nations worldwide and has 'slaughtered hundreds of thousands of innocent people' to protect its economic and political interests.

Vijayan accused the United States of engaging in 'imperialist aggression' by disregarding the territorial integrity of Venezuela and detaining its leadership.

The Chief Minister said that the military operations reflect a long history of US interventions that, in his view, have 'slaughtered hundreds of thousands of innocent people' in conflicts pursued to protect American strategic interests.

'Extraordinary incidents are taking place in the world. Disregarding the sovereignty of Venezuela, American imperialism has intruded into that country and has even taken the head of that nation into custody,' Vijayan said, urging global democratic voices to rise against what he described as acts of aggression.

He cited past conflicts in Vietnam, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Latin America, asserting that US military interventions have repeatedly resulted in widespread human suffering.

'The history of military intrusions carried out by American imperialism across the world is one of human bloodshed,' the CM said.

'To protect their economic and political interests, America has slaughtered hundreds of thousands of innocent people,' he added.

His remarks came days after the US launched a 'large-scale strike' in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Saturday and captured Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. Maduro and Flores were flown out of the country in a joint operation involving intelligence agencies and US law enforcement. They were indicted on charges of alleged 'drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies' in the Southern District of New York and are currently facing trial.

Following their capture, Delcy Rodriguez, the Vice President of Venezuela under Maduro, officially assumed the role of the country's acting president.

Vijayan further vehemently criticised the US noting that what transpired in Venezuela could happen 'in any other country in the world tomorrow' and that it should alarm all democratic nations.

He acknowledged India's global outreach after the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025, when New Delhi sought international solidarity, noting that the Venezuelan people deserve the same level of concern from the world after India rallied global support following the April 22 terror attack.

'What happened in Venezuela today can happen in any other country in the world tomorrow. This is an issue that should cause concern to each and every one of us,' Vijayan said.

'When Pakistani terrorists carried out an attack in Pahalgam, India sought the support of other nations to raise its voice and stand with it. Special representative delegations were sent by India to foreign countries to ensure global solidarity in the fight against terrorism. The same international support that we desired then is something the people of Venezuela also deserve today,' he added.

He criticised the Central Government's stance, saying it appeared eager to 'trivialise' the situation and demonstrate 'subservience to the United States,' noting that an official statement from the Ministry of External Affairs did not even mention the US by name.

'The Central Government is displaying an eagerness to trivialise it and to demonstrate subservience to the United States. In the statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs in this regard, even the name of the United States was not mentioned. The Central Government is unable even to register a protest against the American President, who makes statements every day that insult India and our sovereignty,' the CM stated.

Vijayan also took aim at the Congress party, accusing it of aligning too closely with American interests and failing to push back against repeated threats from US President Donald Trump, including tariff warnings.

'Even while American President Donald Trump is repeatedly threatening India by saying that he will once again raise import tariffs, we have seen the Congress government in Telangana displaying competitive enthusiasm to even construct a road in Trump's name,' he said.

He further criticised media coverage of the Venezuelan crisis, saying much of it sought to 'sugar-coat the American invasion' instead of treating it as an encroachment on sovereignty and a 'cruelty against humanity'.

Vijayan's remarks came amid international outcry after reported airstrikes and the capture of Maduro by US forces, an act the Chief Minister described as a threat to democratic nations globally and indicative of 'American imperialism'. (ANI)