New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and former Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday, has strongly objected to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments regarding the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, calling them “terribly wrong” and “misattributed.”

In a post on X, the former Home Minister expressed disappointment at the Prime Minister for allegedly misattributing words to him.

“I quote the Hon'ble PM's words (as reported in ToI): ".....has said India was ready to respond after 26/11, but because of the pressure exerted by some country, then Congress govt stopped India's armed forces from attacking Pakistan." The statement has three parts, and each one of them is WRONG, terribly WRONG It is disappointing to read that the Hon'ble prime minister of India imagined the words and attributed them to me,” Chidambaram wrote on X.

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi, without mentioning P. Chidambaram by name, alluded to a recent interview with the senior Congress leader, where he discussed the UPA government’s reaction to Pakistan following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Referring to the remarks, the Prime Minister called on the Congress to clarify who decided to stop the armed forces from attacking Pakistan under foreign influence, stressing that the nation deserved to know the truth.

Highlighting Mumbai’s importance, PM Modi said, “Mumbai is not only the economic capital city but also one of the most vibrant cities in India. That is why terrorists chose Mumbai for a major attack in 2008. But the Congress government in power then sent a message of weakness, a message of surrender to terrorism.”

He further said, “Recently, a senior Congress leader, who even served as the former Home Minister, revealed big things in an interview. He claimed that after the Mumbai attack, our forces were ready to attack Pakistan. The entire country wanted the same. But according to that Congress leader, the then government stopped India's forces from taking action due to pressure from another country. Congress must tell us who made this decision under foreign pressure, who played with Mumbai's national sentiment. The country has the right to know. This weakness of Congress strengthened the terrorists and weakened national security, a price repeatedly paid by the country in lives lost.”

During an ABP News podcast on October 1, Chidambaram recounted the internal decision-making within the government after the 26/11 attacks and explained how international diplomatic pressure, especially from the United States, influenced India’s course of action.

He stated that he took over as Home Minister on November 30, 2008, a day after the attacks, following the resignation of Shivraj Patil.

With ANI inputs