UPA govt didn’t act against Pakistan post-26/11 due to ‘US pressure’: BJP

Hitting out at the previous Congress-led UPA government over their handling of India’s response to Pakistan after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the BJP on Saturday alleged that during the Congress regime after the attack when India was waiting for a strong response, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was waiting for directions from Washington.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, “In an interview, former Union Minister P. Chidambaram said after the 26/11 attacks, the entire world was putting pressure on Delhi not to go to war, and after the advice of the Ministry of External Affairs, the government postponed the action.”

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“The first lesson of sovereignty is that external forces will not interfere in our affairs,” he said.

“But P. Chidambaram, who was a minister during the UPA government, said that Manmohan ji’s government decided that no attack or war would be carried out after the 26/11 terrorist attack,” the BJP national spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, reacting to P. Chidambaram’s recent interview, BJP national spokesperson and Lok Sabha MP Sambit Patra while addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar, slammed the previous UPA-led government, accusing it of lacking the “political will” to retaliate after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks despite the armed forces being “fully capable and ready”.

Patra alleged that the Congress leadership “bowed down before US orders”, compromising national pride and security.

Both Bhatia and Patra made these remarks while reacting to former Union Minister P. Chidambaram’s recent revelation that although he had favoured a retaliatory strike against Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, the government decided against it under international pressure — particularly from the United States.

Bhatia said, “During the Congress regime, after the 26/11 attack, when India was waiting for a strong response, Sonia Gandhi was waiting for directions from Washington.”

“This was the foreign policy of a compromised and weak Congress-UPA government. Today, P. Chidambaram himself is making these serious revelations, and even Manish Tewari admits that these are matters of deep concern. But the real question is, where is Rahul Gandhi? What are his priorities? To hatch conspiracies against India instead of standing with it?” Bhatia added.

Referring to Chidambaram’s interview, Patra, while addressing the press conference in Bhubaneswar said, “He said that after the 26/11 attack, the decision not to retaliate or use kinetic force against Pakistan was taken under foreign pressure. Chidambaram has clearly stated that then US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had said that under no circumstances should India take any action against Pakistan.”

“Chidambaram and then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were told not to react by the US government. There was worldwide pressure, and the US specifically exerted it on the Prime Minister and the Home Minister,” he added.

“You may wonder who made this decision. I tell you today, this decision was made illegally and unconstitutionally by Sonia Gandhi, and she dictated it. Sonia Madam directed Manmohan Singh and Home Minister Chidambaram that no action should be taken against Pakistan. She forced India to bow down and gave shelter to Pakistan,” Patra claimed.

“Before 2014, under Sonia Gandhi and the UPA, what was India’s decisive strength? And after 2014, under Narendra Modi, India’s decisive strength is very clear. The Indian Army was brave and capable even before 2014. They had all their capabilities, all their courage. But what was missing was political will,” Patra.