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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday criticized the Congress party for not taking ‘action’ against Pakistan due to pressure from a foreign country after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The Prime Minister sought answers from the Congress Party on the decision taken at that time.
“Mumbai is not only the economic capital but also one of the most vibrant cities of India. That is why terrorists attacked Mumbai. But the then Congress government gave a message of weakness. Recently, a senior Congress leader and former home minister has revealed that after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, our security forces were ready to attack Pakistan, but due to pressure from the other country, the then Congress government stopped our security forces,” PM Modi said. Inauguration of Phase 1 of Navi Mumbai International Airport.
The Prime Minister was referring to Congress leader and former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s recent remarks in which he admitted that the Congress-led UPA government had decided not to retaliate against Pakistan due to intense international pressure after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
What did P.Chidambaram say?
The Congress leader has revealed that “revenge came to my mind” but the government decided against military action.
During a recent interview Chidambaram said, “The whole world descended on Delhi to say don’t start a war.” Chidambaram took over as Union Home Minister a few days after the 26/11 terrorist attacks killed 175 people.
The Congress leader admitted, “Condoleezza Rice, who was the US Secretary of State at the time, came to meet me and the Prime Minister two or three days after I took charge. And said, ‘Please don’t react’. I said this is a decision the government will take. Without revealing any official secret, it came to my mind that we should take some retaliatory action.”
Congress will have to tell who took the decision
PM Modi said in his speech in Navi Mumbai that Congress will have to explain who took this decision under the pressure of a foreign power.
He said, “The country has every right to know. Congress’s weakness strengthened the terrorists. The country has repeatedly had to pay the price of this mistake with its lives. For us, nothing is more important than national security and the safety of our citizens.”
Chidambaram even said that he had discussed possible retaliation with the Prime Minister and “significant others”.
The weakness of Congress strengthened the terrorists. The country has repeatedly had to pay the price of this mistake with its lives.
He recalled, “The Prime Minister discussed it even when the attack was taking place… and the conclusion was largely influenced by the Ministry of External Affairs and the IFS that we should not react physically to the situation.”
What happened in Mumbai on 26/11?
A group of 10 Pakistani terrorists linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out attacks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj train station; On November 26, 2008, the Oberoi Trident, Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, Leopold Café, Cama Hospital and Nariman House were attacked, later known as the Mumbai attacks. Ajmal Kasab, one of the terrorists caught by Mumbai Police, was hanged in 2012.
PM Modi’s comments in Mumbai assume significance as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has often cited India’s response to the Mumbai attacks as an example of the UPA’s weakness on foreign policy and security issues.
The saffron party often compares the Congress-led government to its own government’s response to terror attacks through surgical strikes and others – in response to the Uri terror attack in 2016, Balakot air strikes in response to the Pulwama terror attack in 2019 and Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in 2025.
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