Former Union minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram claimed that while India was ready for retaliation against Pakistan after 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, it decided not to after pressure from global community.
Chidambaram, who was the Union Home Minister in the then-ruling Congress-led UPA government, led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in an interview to a TV channel, said "the whole world was descending upon Delhi to tell us don't start a war."
"For example, Condoleezza Rice, who was a then Secretary of State, flew in two day or three days after I took over to meet me and the Prime Minister and to say, please don't react. I said this is a decision which the government will take," Chidrambaram said.
"Without disclosing any official secret, it did cross my mind that we should do some act of retribution," he added.
"... the Prime Minister had discussed this even when the attack was going on...And the conclusion was largely influenced by the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) and the IFS (Indian Foreign Service) that we should not physically react to the situation," the former Union minister said.
Attacking the Congress, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that India has "paid a heavy price" for the sins committed by the Congress while Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has accused the Oppostion party of "mishandling" the situation after the 2011 terror attacks in Mumbai in under foreign pressure.
"Time has changed. India won't tolerate any terrorist attack now!,"Rijiju said on X.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi posted the clip of the Chidambaram's interview on his X platform and wrote. "After 17 years, Chidambaram, Former Home Minister admits what the nation knew - 26/11 was mishandled due to pressure from foreign powers. Too little, too late."
The BJP's Shehzad Poonawala took to X to post, "Why was the UPA was taking orders from Sonia Gandhi? Why did she prevail over the Home Minister? adding the UPA government eventually gave MFN status to Pakistan. Never ever acted on series of. Terror attacks and lost many many lives."
Congress among other opposition parties had criticisised the BJP-led Central government for Operation Sindoor, the country's military retaliation against Pahalgam terror attacks earlier this year by a Pakistan based Lashkar-e Taiba terrorists.
This came amidst United States President Donald Trump's claims that he had brokered a truce between India and Pakistan.