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Rashid Alvi says Chidambaram’s comments on US pressure during 26/11 could help BJP and questioned their timing.
Former Home Minister P Chidambaram’s admission that military action was considered but not pursued sparks internal Congress criticism. (IMAGE: REIUTERS FILE)
Congress leader Rashid Alvi has accused members within the party of weakening it, following P. Chidambaram’s recent remarks that the UPA government did not retaliate against Pakistan after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks due to international pressure.
Alvi questioned why Chidambaram made the claim 16 years later, asking if it implied that he had acted under US pressure. “Such a statement will only benefit the BJP. If he disagreed at that time, he should have resigned,” Alvi said while speaking to IANS, describing the internal dissent as akin to “a house catching fire because of its own lamp.” Chidambaram had admitted that thoughts of retribution crossed his mind, but the government ultimately decided against military action.
P Chidambaram in an interview with a news channel claimed that the “whole descended upon New Delhi” to urge it to not go into a war with Pakistan following the coordinated terror attacks that claimed the lives of 175 people in Mumbai 26/11 attacks.
Delhi: On former Union Minister P. Chidambaram’s ‘US stopped from retaliating after 26/11 attacks’ statement, Congress leader Rashid Alvi says, “Does this mean he was working under U.S. pressure? Such a statement will only benefit the BJP. Why is Chidambaram making this claim… pic.twitter.com/nCaeD4pFwG— IANS (@ians_india) October 1, 2025
“Two or three days after I took over, Condoleezza Rice came to meet me and the prime minister and asked us ‘please don’t react’. I told her this was a decision the government would take. Without disclosing any official secret, I will say an act of retribution did cross my mind,” Chidambaram told a Hindi broadcaster during the interview.
“The prime minister discussed possible military retaliation even while the attack was under way. The conclusion, shaped largely by the External Affairs Ministry and the Indian Foreign Service, was that we should not respond militarily.”
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed Chidambaram, saying his admission came “a little too late.” Union Minister Pralhad Joshi added that the former Home Minister had effectively confirmed what the country already knew—that the government had handled the Mumbai attacks under pressure from foreign powers.
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev…Read More
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev… Read More
October 01, 2025, 15:13 IST
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