Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram has quickly cleared up a big misunderstanding about his comments on India’s response to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Just hours after his remarks sparked political firestorms, the former Home Minister took to X on Wednesday to set the record straight.
“In no part of my interview with Megha Prasad’s podcast did I say the US stopped us from retaliating after the 26/11 attacks,” Chidambaram wrote. He added that TV channels, media outlets, and social media users are wrongly putting words in his mouth. “These are the perils of talking to the media!” he quipped, blaming the coverage for blowing things out of proportion.
The controversy has turned into a headache for the Congress party. The ruling BJP and its allies are slamming the old UPA government—and its leaders—for supposedly buckling under US pressure instead of striking back at Pakistan after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Social media is buzzing with anti-Congress posts, making it a tough spot for the opposition.
In the podcast interview, Chidambaram opened up about his mindset right after the attacks. He explained that he took over as Home Minister the day after the horror unfolded. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh personally called him to switch from Finance Minister to handle the crisis. When Chidambaram hesitated at first, he learned that Congress President Sonia Gandhi had already decided. She was out of town, so he stepped up the next morning.
Chidambaram admitted the idea of retaliation crossed his mind. “It did cross my mind that we should do some act of retribution,” he said. He discussed it with Singh and key advisors while the attacks were still raging. In the end, advice from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officials swayed the decision. They pushed for diplomatic moves over military action against Pakistan.
This fresh twist on the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks keeps the debate alive, especially as political rivals use it to score points ahead of elections.
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