Former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan’s remarks on ‘PM kidnap’ sparks a row

Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday (January 6, 2026) sparked a row by asking if U.S. President Trump would use any coercive tactics against India and would kidnap Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The former Union Minister later said that he was not predicting anything, but was issuing a warning that countries need to stand together to maintain global order. He was referring to the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro by the U.S. forces.

“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. Mr. Chavan was speaking about the high tariffs imposed by the U.S. on India.

“The 50% tariff would effectively cripple India’s trade with the U.S. Since a direct ban cannot be imposed, tariffs have been used as a tool to stop trade. India will have to bear this,” he said.

“The profits that our people earlier earned from exports to the U.S. will no longer be available. We will have to look for alternative markets and efforts in that direction are already underway,” he added.

During the same conversation, speaking of the U.S.’ coercion, he asked if PM Modi will be kidnapped by Mr. Trump.

The remarks immediately drew flak from the BJP.

“CONGRESS SINKS TO NEW LOW EVERYDAY. Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan shamelessly comparing India’s situation with Venezuela. By asking whether ‘what happened in Venezuela can happen in India’, Congress is making its anti-India mindset clear. Rahul Gandhi wants chaos in Bharat. Rahul Gandhi is seeking foreign intervention in Bharat’s affairs!” BJP spokesperon Pradeep Bhandari said.

When asked about it, Mr. Chavan said that Mr. Trump had been talking of Greenland and Panama, and that it was important to build a consensus among countries.