New Delhi: The BJP has hit back at the Congress, accusing it of siding with Pakistan, after P Chidambaram’s recent interview with The Quint, in which he questioned why the government hasn’t identified or caught those responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack.
Chidambaram, who has served as the country’s home minister between 2008 and 2012, claimed that the Centre has not given enough information about the attack or Operation Sindoor. Chidambaram also accused the government of being unwilling to share important details and asked what happened to the people who were reportedly arrested for giving shelter to the attackers.
“For all we know, they could be homegrown terrorists,” Chidambaram said. He asked why people were assuming that the terrorists came from Pakistan. “There’s no evidence of that,” he said.
Chidambaram, in the interview, criticised the lack of clear communication from top leaders. He said that instead of one complete statement, information has been coming in bits and pieces from different officers. He said that while the Chief of Defence Staff, Deputy Army Chief and a junior Navy officer did speak, senior leaders like the Prime Minister himself, Defence Minister, or Foreign Minister didn’t give a full explanation.
When asked what he thought the government was trying to hide, Chidambaram said it was possible that mistakes were made during Operation Sindoor and the government doesn’t want to admit it. He pointed to a possible change in strategy and said that the CDS hinted at it. He said that if mistakes were made and strategies were changed, the government should explain what happened. He also said the BJP-led government either doesn’t know how to answer or does not want to.
He also questioned what the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was doing during the investigation. He asked whether the NIA has identified the terrorists or found out where they came from. Chidambaram said the attackers might be from India and that there is no clear proof linking them to Pakistan.
The senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP also said the government is not openly revealing the losses suffered during the Operation. He explained that in any conflict, both sides suffer losses and that India may have faced some too, so the government should be honest about it. Chidambaram had made the comments just ahead of the Parliament debate on Monday on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.
After the interview, Union minister Kiren Rijiju responded with a reference to the Ramayana ahead of the Parliament’s discussion on Operation Sindoor. He compared Pakistan’s actions to “Raavan” crossing the “Lakshman Rekha”, which led to Lanka’s destruction. He said that when Pakistan crossed India’s red lines, terrorist camps were destroyed in return.
Ahead of the debate, Rijiju had warned the Congress and the Opposition not to make any statements in Parliament that could go against India’s national interest or appear to support Pakistan.
The BJP used Chidambaram’s comments to accuse Congress of repeatedly siding with anti-India views. The party slammed the Opposition and said that it’s not the first time Congress leaders have sounded like they are defending Pakistan. BJP leader Amit Malviya said the Congress once again seemed to be protecting Pakistan after a terror attack and questioned why they always seem to take the enemy’s side instead of standing with India.
He added that when it comes to national security, Congress often sends a confusing message, while the BJP believes the country needs to be firm and united.
Responding to the criticism, Chidambaram took to X and wrote, “Trolls are of different kinds and use different tools to spread misinformation.” He further added, “The worst kind is a troll who suppresses the full recorded interview, takes two sentences, mutes some words, and paints the speaker in a black colour!”