Ahead of the Operation Sindoor debate in Parliament, former Home Minister and veteran Congress leader P Chidambaram has triggered a fresh controversy with his purported remarks that the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack could be “homegrown” and that there is no evidence that they came from Pakistan.
The Congress leader made these remarks during a recent interview, a clip of which was shared by BJP leader Amit Malviya.
“Have they (NIA) identified the terrorists or where they came from? For all we know, they could be homegrown terrorists. Why do you assume they came from Pakistan? There is no evidence of that,” the Congress leader is heard saying in the clip.
At least 26 people were killed in the barbaric terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22. India squarely blamed Pakistan for the attack and launched precision strikes on Pakistani terror camps across the LoC.
The ruling BJP has fumed over Chidambaram’s remarks, which appear to give Pakistan a clean chit. Sharing the interview clip on X, Malviya asked why the Congress leaders sound more like the defence lawyers of Islamabad than India’s Opposition.
“Once again, the Congress rushes to give a clean chit to Pakistan — this time after the Pahalgam terror attack…Why is it that every time our forces confront Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, Congress leaders sound more like Islamabad’s defence lawyers than India’s opposition?” Malviya asked.
Malviya further accused the Congress party of consistently trying to protect enemies of the nation.
“When it comes to national security, there should be no ambiguity. But with the Congress, there never is — they always bend over backwards to protect the enemy,” he added.
Chidambaram responds to BJP attack
Responding to the BJP’s criticism, Chidambaram alleged that his full recorded interview was suppressed by the “worst kind of trolls”.
“Trolls are of different kinds and use different tools to spread misinformation. 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!” the Congress leader remarked.