Rubio breaks news of Venezuela Prez's India visit; Cong sees Op Sindoor replay

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio became the first official to reveal that Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodrguez "would visit India next week". Process that. It was neither an Indian nor a Venezuelan official, but Rubio, an American, who revealed the official visit. Reminded of Rubio's Operation Sindoor ceasefire and his boss Donald Trump's? Congress was. Rubio's disclosure that Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez would be visiting India came while the US Secretary of State was discussing energy cooperation with India ahead of his own visit to the country. Read Full Story Rubio's disclosure has triggered a political row in India. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, comparing it to Rubio's 2025 announcement regarding the ceasefire of Operation Sindoor, asked the BJP-led Centre why major developments involving India appeared to be first emerging from Washington. The report of Delcy Rodriguez's India visit assumes significance as it comes months after the US forces abducted the country's president, Nicolas Maduro. Since then, the US-friendly regime led by Rodriguez, has been under heavy influence of Washington DC. Deals were inked allowing American companies access to Venezuelan oil fields. The US now enjoys strong leverage on the Latin American nation through control over oil sales and revenues after it lifted sanctions on Venezuelan oil. Venezuela possesses the world's largest proven oil reserves and India remains one of the world's biggest crude importers. The report also comes at a time when India is navigating turbulence as it is dependent on imported oil and gas from the Middle East. At the same time, the US has repeatedly discouraged India from buying Russian crude while proposing New Delhi to purchase American energy. MARCO RUBIO REVEALS VENEZUELA PRESIDENT INDIA VISIT Rubio made the disclosure while speaking to reporters before departing on a trip that would bring him to India beginning Saturday. Highlighting the US' desire to expand energy exports to India, Rubio said, "We want to sell them as much energy as they'll buy". He then unexpectedly revealed a possible diplomatic engagement involving Venezuela and India. "We also think there are opportunities with Venezuelan oil. In fact, it's my understanding that the interim president of Venezuela will be travelling to India next week as well," Rubio said. "There's a lot to work on with India. They're a great ally, a great partner," added Rubio. Rubio's comment attracted attention because neither India nor Venezuela had publicly announced such a visit before Rubio's remarks. At 5:37 PM on May 10, 2025, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was the first to announce the halt to Operation Sindoor. Yesterday, Mr. Rubio was again the very first to announce that the President of Venezuela would be visiting India next week. This was even before India and pic.twitter.com/Lv9cgmbLEy— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 22, 2026 WHY IS CONGRESS CALLING RUBIO'S REVEAL AN OP SINDOOR REPLAY? The political reaction to Rubio's statement came from at least two Congress MPs, including the party general secretary Jairam Ramesh. In a post on X, Ramesh recalled another occasion when he said Rubio appeared to disclose information concerning India before Indian authorities did. "At 5.37 PM on May 10, 2025, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was the first to announce the halt to Operation Sindoor" Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh said. He, then, pointed to Rubio's latest comments concerning the Venezuelan leader's India visit. "Yesterday, Mr Rubio was again the very first to announce that the President of Venezuela would be visiting India next week. This was even before India and Venezuela had even hinted or confirmed the news," Ramesh said. EBOLA OUTBREAK DELAYS VENEZUELAN INTERIM PRESIDENT'S INDIA VISIT "It turns out that the President of Venezuela was expected to attend the launch of the International Big Cat Alliance in New Delhi next week. However this has since been postponed because of the outbreak of the Ebola virus in Africa," Ramesh added. The first International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) Summit, which was scheduled to be held in New Delhi on June 1, has been postponed and will be convened at a later date to ensure wider participation from African and other range countries, said the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on Thursday. Jairam Ramesh ended his post with a sharp political jab, asking, "What else does the US Secretary of State have in store for Indian foreign policy?" The comparison with Operation Sindoor was used by the Congress leader to frame the episode as part of a larger pattern. CONGRESS QUESTIONS HOW AMERICANS DECLARING THIRD-PARTY VISITS Congress Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain took to X to say that even "the halt to Operation Sindoor" and Prime Minister Modi's reported willingness to offer "zero tariffs for American agricultural products" had first emerged from the US side. He alleged that at a time when the West Asian cri