Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks targeting the Congress for halting military action against Pakistan following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Responding to the Prime Minister’s statement, Yadav said the nation’s hopes were “shattered” when the government agreed to a ceasefire instead of taking decisive military action.
“We would have been really happy, and we had hopes from our security forces to get back PoK, but I don't know why the PM agreed on a ceasefire. The ceasefire occurred after a single tweet from the US president; the hopes from the PM got shattered,” Yadav remarked.
PM Modi Accuses Congress of Weakening Fight Against Terror
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a sharp attack on the Congress, alleging that the party’s government during 2004–14 “weakened the fight against terrorism” and compromised national security.
“A Congress leader, who has also been Union Home Minister, has said that a country prevented India’s military retaliation post-26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. The party should clarify,” Modi said while addressing a public gathering after inaugurating the first phase of the Navi Mumbai International Airport, the Aqua Line of the Mumbai Metro, and other infrastructure projects.
The Prime Minister said that Mumbai, being India’s financial capital, had long been a target for terrorists, recalling the 2008 attack that claimed 166 lives and left over 300 injured.
Without naming former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, he cited an ABP News interview and said, “If a top Congress leader, who has been a Union minister, is to be believed, the then UPA government buckled under pressure of a foreign country against attacking Pakistan even though our defence forces were ready and the mood of the nation was to strike.”
He added the Congress owed the nation an explanation for “who stopped India from going ahead with a military retaliation after the 26/11 attacks.”
“The Congress had weakened the fight against terror and compromised on national security due to which India has had to pay a heavy price and suffer a huge loss of lives,” the Prime Minister asserted. In contrast, he said, “today’s India gives a befitting response to terror attacks and strikes by entering inside the home of enemies.”
Citing the recent “Operation Sindoor” carried out in May after the Pahalgam massacre, Modi said, “For us, nothing is more important than the safety and security of our nation and its citizens.”
Chidambaram Reveals He Favoured Retaliation But Was Overruled
Earlier, former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, in an interview on ABP News Political Editor Megha Prasad’s podcast Inside Out, acknowledged that he had been in favour of retaliating against Pakistan after the Mumbai attacks but was persuaded otherwise amid diplomatic pressure.
“I became Home Minister the day after the attack… I told them that I will move, but reluctantly,” Chidambaram said, recalling that he took charge on 30 November 2008, following the resignation of Shivraj Patil.
He said that though the thought of retaliation “did cross his mind,” the decision was ultimately guided by the Ministry of External Affairs. “The conclusion was largely influenced by the MEA and the IFS that we should not physically react to the situation, but we should employ diplomatic means,” he stated.
Chidambaram added that the decision to exercise restraint came amid intense pressure from international powers, particularly the United States. “The conclusion was reached amid pressure from the world that was descending upon Delhi to tell us that don’t start a war,” he said, adding that then US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had personally met him and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to urge India not to retaliate militarily.
“Don’t Compare 2008 with 2025,” Says Chidambaram
Responding to comparisons between the UPA’s handling of the 2008 attacks and the Modi government’s 2025 Operation Sindoor, Chidambaram remarked, “You are comparing 2008 with 2025, 17 years, several things have happened, therefore, don’t compare 2008 with 2025. The preparedness of our defence forces and positioning of intelligence assets were very different in 2008, which I discovered weeks and months after my appointment.”
Rejecting claims that the UPA government was “soft on terror,” he said, “We did not retaliate… My personal view was we should have, but I don’t decide on my personal view. I take on the strengths and weaknesses of the government.”