New Delhi: A seismic admission from Congress stalwart P Chidambaram has cracked open old wounds from the 26/11 Mumbai terror carnage, thrusting the UPA era’s decisions under a harsh spotlight and sparking a blistering intra-party showdown.
In a candid podcast revelation, the former Home Minister — thrust into the role mere days after the Lashkar-e-Taiba onslaught that claimed 166 lives — disclosed that the Manmohan Singh government, buckling under “international pressure” from powers like the United States, shelved plans for military retaliation against Pakistan.
Chidambaram, who had earlier headed the Finance Ministry, confessed a personal itch for action but bowed to the cabinet’s diplomatic pivot, prioritising global counsel over a hawkish riposte.
The confession, 16 years in the making, has boomeranged spectacularly within Congress ranks. Senior leader Rashid Alvi, a vocal party loyalist, unleashed a torrent of reproach, demanding to know why Chidambaram hadn’t tendered his resignation if convictions ran so deep. “Does such an admission mean he was working under American pressure? Such statements will only benefit BJP,” Alvi fumed. “Chidambaram, why are you making this claim 16 years later? If he was against it, then, he should have resigned. Many within Congress want to weaken the party. It’s like setting your house on fire with your lamp.”
The BJP, sensing blood, piled on with glee. Leader Ravi Shankar Prasad lambasted the UPA’s “spineless surrender”, jabbing at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s pliancy. “Chidambaram’s comments show how much Manmohan Singh bent under pressure. Why did they hide their actions from the country for so long? It’s shameful,” he thundered, prodding Rahul Gandhi for a riposte.
As echoes of that blood-soaked November night reverberate, this familial feud underscores a Congress grappling with its ghosts — will it heal old scars or haemorrhage further in the run-up to polls?