New Delhi: Former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has disclosed that he was inclined towards retaliatory action against Pakistan after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks but was ultimately persuaded against it.
Speaking on an ABP News Podcast, Chidambaram recounted the decision-making process within the government and how international diplomatic pressure, particularly from the United States, shaped India’s stance.
Chidambaram recalled that he took charge as Home Minister on November 30, 2008, a day after the attacks and immediately following the resignation of Shivraj Patil.
“I became Home Minister the day after the attack. The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, called me to shift me from Finance to the Home Ministry. When I initially refused, I was told that Mrs. Gandhi (Sonia Gandhi), who was Congress president at the time, had already made a decision. I asked if I could speak with her, but was told she was out of town. I was instructed to take charge the next morning,” Chidambaram said on the Inside Out podcast.
He further revealed that he was reluctant to leave the Finance Ministry. “I told them that I am happy to complete my term as the Finance Minister. I have presented five budgets, and the elections were supposed to be held in April 2009. But I was told no, and the PM informed me that the party will have to move ahead with the decision. I told them that I will move, but reluctantly,” he added.
Admitting his lack of familiarity with India’s security infrastructure at that time, Chidambaram said, “I went in blank,” adding that he was unaware of the intelligence assets available in Pakistan and neighbouring regions.
The former Union Home Minister also acknowledged that the thought of retaliation had crossed his mind. “It did cross my mind that we should do some act of retribution. I did discuss it with the Prime Minister and other people who mattered. The PM had discussed this matter when the attack was going on, I can surmise. And 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.
The Congress veteran explained that the decision to exercise restraint came under significant global pressure. “The conclusion was reached amid pressure from the world that was descending upon Delhi to tell us Don’t start a war,” he said.
He specifically mentioned that then US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had travelled to New Delhi to meet him and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, urging India not to retaliate militarily.
On comparisons with ‘Operation Sindoor’, he 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, so we had to rebuild our assets and preparedness.”
He rejected the allegation that the Manmohan Singh-led government was “soft on terror.” “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,” the former minister said.