Former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has stirred a major political storm with his admission that India refrained from retaliating against Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks due to intense foreign pressure, particularly from the United States. Chidambaram revealed in an interview that then US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice flew to India just days after the attacks to urge the government not to react militarily.
Chidambaram, who took charge as Home Minister shortly after the 26/11 attacks that killed 175 people, said the idea of retribution crossed his mind. He confirmed that he discussed retaliation with the Prime Minister and key decision-makers but added that the final call was influenced by the Ministry of External Affairs and Indian Foreign Service officers, who argued against military action. “The whole world descended upon Delhi to tell us ‘don’t start a war’,” he said, acknowledging that global diplomatic pressure shaped India’s restrained response.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has hit back strongly, calling Chidambaram’s comments too little, too late. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said the Congress leader had admitted what the nation already suspected that the UPA government mishandled the Mumbai attacks under foreign pressure.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that Chidambaram initially wanted military action but others prevailed, questioning whether Sonia Gandhi or then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh blocked the move. He accused the Congress of taking instructions from Condoleezza Rice and demanded answers on why the UPA appeared to act under US influence.
Poonawalla also attacked the Congress for allegedly giving Pakistan a “clean chit” on both the 26/11 attacks and the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings while promoting what he described as a “Hindu terror” narrative. He further criticised the UPA for granting Pakistan Most Favoured Nation status despite repeated cross-border terror strikes and claimed that Congress continues to cast doubt on India’s military actions against Pakistan. The revelations have reignited political debate over the UPA’s handling of national security during one of India’s deadliest terror strikes, keeping the 26/11 tragedy at the center of India’s political battleground even 17 years later.
