By Chanshimla Varah | Sep 30, 2025 | 11:05 AM
**What’s the story?**
Former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has admitted that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government chose not to retaliate against Pakistan following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks due to pressure from the international community, including the United States.
“The whole world descended upon Delhi to tell us ‘don’t start a war’,” Chidambaram, who assumed charge as Union Home Minister just days after the attacks, told a Hindi news channel.
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**Remarks**
**“It did cross my mind for some act of retribution”**
Condoleezza Rice, then U.S. Secretary of State, flew to India two or three days after Chidambaram took over to meet him and the Prime Minister. “She said, ‘please don’t react.’ I said this is a decision that the government will take,” he recounted.
Without revealing any official secrets, Chidambaram admitted, “It did cross my mind that we should do some act of retribution.”
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**Conclusion largely influenced by MHA and IFS**
Chidambaram explained that he discussed the possibility of a reprisal with the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and “other people who mattered.” The Prime Minister had even discussed this during the attack.
However, the final decision – largely influenced by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) – was that India should not physically retaliate in response to the situation.
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**Political fallout**
**BJP leaders react sharply to Chidambaram’s statement**
Chidambaram’s admission has drawn sharp criticism from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi commented, “This is an acknowledgment that the Mumbai attacks were mishandled due to pressure from foreign powers. After 17 years, Chidambaram, former Home Minister, admits what the nation already knew – 26/11 was mishandled due to pressure from foreign powers. Too little, too late.”
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**Policy critique**
**Questions raised about Congress leaders’ role in the decision**
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala alleged that Chidambaram was initially hesitant to take over as Home Minister immediately after the attacks and had favored military action against Pakistan but was stopped by others.
He also questioned whether senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi influenced the decision not to retaliate, asking, “Why was UPA taking orders from her? Why did Sonia Gandhi prevail over the Home Minister?”
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**Response comparison**
**BJP contrasts UPA’s response with its own actions against terror**
The BJP has often cited India’s response after the Mumbai attacks as an example of the UPA’s weakness in foreign policy and security.
It contrasts the UPA’s restrained response to the Mumbai attacks with its own government’s decisive actions against terror, such as the 2016 surgical strikes and the 2019 Balakot airstrike.
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**Background**
The Mumbai attacks, which occurred on November 26, 2008, were carried out by Pakistani terrorists and resulted in the deaths of 175 people. One of the attackers, Ajmal Kasab, was captured alive and later executed in 2012.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/politics/us-stopped-us-chidambaram-s-makes-big-26-11-admission-bjp-responds/story
