Tens of thousands across India mobilize to oppose US attacks on Venezuela
Original article by Abdul Rahman republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.
Protests by the Democratic Youth Federation of India – Central Executive Committee in Kerala condemning the US assault on Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. Photo: CPI(M)
The Indian government’s failure to condemn the US aggression against Venezuela’s sovereignty, despite it being in violation of the country’s long-standing position and its expressed commitments to the UN charter, has invited strong domestic criticism.
Tens of thousands of people across India continued to mobilize on Wednesday, January 7, the fourth consecutive day, in opposition to the US aggression in Venezuela and the abduction of its president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife Cilia Flores.
Workers, in response to the call made by one of India’s largest trade union federations, the Center for Indian Trade Unions (CITU), organized large-scale protests near their workplaces across the country on Wednesday.
In various places they burned the effigies of US President Donald Trump, calling him the killer of democracy.
Workers across the country employed in various sectors, from hydel power plants to modern manufacturing industries, organised protest demonstrations at the call of @cituhq against US aggression on #Venezuela and the kidnapping of President #NicolasMaduro and his wife Cilia… pic.twitter.com/92OJqSG1k0
— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) January 7, 2026
Large scale protests were organized in different parts of the country by the student, youth and women’s groups as well. The protesters expressed solidarity with the people of Venezuela and denounced Washington’s acts of aggression against the sovereign nation.
US forces attacked various places inside Venezuela, including the capital, Caracas, on Saturday and abducted President Maduro and his wife. At least 80 people, including 32 Cuban guards defending the president, were killed in US aggression.
Protests in every corner of India
In the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, Yousuf Tarigami, leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), led a protest of workers and students on Tuesday. Addressing the protest, he called the attack on Venezuela an act of naked imperialism.
Tarigami questioned Trump’s attempts to dictate terms to other countries. He called the US acts illegal and asserted that the sovereignty of all countries must be respected.
In the southernmost state of Tamil Nadu, CPI(M) and various women, youth, and student groups have carried out marches and protests for the last four days. The protesters shouted slogans against the imperialist aggression and demanded the release of President Maduro and his wife Cilia.
A joint protest of all left parties was also organized in the north-eastern state of Assam on Tuesday against US imperialist attacks on Venezuela. The protest was joined by all the major parties, such as CPI (M), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, and the Communist Party of India (CPI), among others.
Student and youth organizations held large protests all across Kerala, one of the southern states in defense of Venezuela’s sovereignty and against imperialist aggression. The protesters held torchlight marches in some places shouting slogans such as “Death to Imperialism” and “Hands off Venezuela!”
The @dyficec held protests across Kerala condemning the imperialist US assault on #Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores pic.twitter.com/4U7KEHMz4C
— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) January 6, 2026
Similar protests were held in states such as Telangana, Maharashtra, Bihar, and West Bengal as well. The left parties have called for further anti-imperialist protests in the coming days.
India must condemn US aggression
Left parties in India have also demanded that the Indian government issue a condemnation of the unilateral US military action and to exercise diplomatic measures to assure the release of Maduro and his wife immediately.
The ultra-right-wing government in the country, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has come under attack from the left and progressive forces for its refusal to condemn the US aggression.
India has merely expressed “deep concern” over the developments in Venezuela, in an official statement issued hours after the outbreak of the news of the US aggression and Maduro’s kidnapping.
The left parties have called India’s official position “shameful” and “unworthy” of the country’s long-held position of independence and sovereignty of nations.
CPI (M) called India’s silence on the issue a “pro-US stance” claiming it was “in line with the Modi government’s right-wing ideology and strategic ties with the Trump administration.” It further stated that by taking such a position, India has “abdicated any claim to represent the interests of the Global South.”
Original article by Abdul Rahman republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.
People participate in a protest and vigil after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis, on January 7, 2026. Photo: Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP
