'Terribly wrong': Chidambaram responds to Modi's remarks on 26/11 attacks
What's the story
Congress leader P Chidambaram has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for misattributing his statements about India's response to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. In a post on X, Chidambaram said the words misrepresented his views. "I quote the Hon'ble PM's words: '.....has said India was ready to respond after 26/11, but because of the pressure exerted by some country, then Congress govt stopped India's armed forces from attacking Pakistan.' The statement...is WRONG, terribly WRONG," he wrote.
Twitter Post
It is disappointing, says the Congress leader
I quote the Hon'ble PM's words (as reported in ToI):
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) October 9, 2025
".....has said India was ready to respond after 26/11, but because of the pressure exerted by some country, then Congress govt stopped India's armed forces from attacking Pakistan."
The statement has three parts, and each one…
PM's statement
PM Modi's address at event in Mumbai
On Wednesday, after inaugurating the Navi Mumbai international airport, PM Modi said Mumbai is one of India's most vibrant cities, and "that is why terrorists chose Mumbai for a major attack in 2008." "But the Congress government in power then sent a message of weakness, a message of surrender to terrorism," he said.
PM
'Congress must tell us who made this decision'
Then, referring to comments made by Chidambaram recently on the terror attacks, he said, "Recently, a senior Congress leader....claimed that after the Mumbai attack, our forces were ready to attack Pakistan. The entire country wanted the same. But according to that Congress leader, the then government stopped India's forces from taking action due to pressure from another country." "Congress must tell us who made this decision under foreign pressure, who played with Mumbai's national sentiment," he added.
Clarification
Chidambaram's earlier comments on diplomatic pressure
In an ABP News podcast on October 1, Chidambaram, who became the home minister shortly after the attacks, revealed that "retribution crossed my mind," but the government decided against military action. "The whole world descended upon Delhi to tell us don't start a war," he said. "I did discuss it with the Prime Minister....And the conclusion was largely influenced by the MEA and...IFS that we should not physically react to the situation, but we should employ diplomatic means," he stated.