Ahead of the high-stakes parliamentary debate on Operation Sindoor, Congress leader and former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has stirred controversy by questioning the government’s claim that the Pahalgam terror attack was Pakistan-backed, prompting a sharp rebuttal from the BJP.
In an interview to The Quint on July 27, Chidambaram expressed doubt over the origin of the attackers involved in the April 22 attack that killed 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir. He accused the government of withholding information and failing to provide transparency about the identities and origins of the terrorists.
“For all we know, they could be homegrown terrorists. Why do you assume they came from Pakistan? There’s no evidence of that,” Chidambaram said, also criticising the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for not sharing its findings.
Chidambaram also accused the government of hiding Indian casualties from the retaliatory Operation Sindoor, calling for the government to admit potential losses. Drawing parallels with the 2008 Mumbai attacks, he said he had publicly acknowledged the intelligence lapse during his tenure, something the current government has failed to do.
His remarks triggered a strong response from the BJP, with party spokesperson Amit Malviya accusing Congress of siding with India’s adversaries.
“Why is it that every time our forces confront Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, Congress leaders sound like Islamabad’s defence lawyers?” Malviya posted on X.
Congress MP Imran Masood also demanded answers about the terrorists’ escape, questioning the effectiveness of India’s border security.
“If the terrorists came from Pakistan, then how did they enter and leave undetected? Were they airlifted? The people have a right to know,” he said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Manickam Tagore accused the BJP of using Operation Sindoor to divert attention from broader issues, including alleged foreign policy mishandling and a lack of transparency.
“We want to know who the terrorists were, where they came from, and why they haven’t been caught yet. This dangerous game in Kashmir is not in national interest,” Tagore added.
Chidambaram further stated, “Losses are inevitable in a war. Hiding them only weakens the credibility of the operation. You can’t wrap Operation Sindoor in a shroud of secrecy.”
The BJP-led government maintains that Operation Sindoor was a decisive response targeting terrorist infrastructure across the border in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), with precision air and ground strikes.
The Parliament is set to debate the operation in a special 16-hour session in the Lok Sabha, followed by discussions in the Rajya Sabha, amid repeated opposition demands for clarity and accountability over the government’s response to the terror attack.
The controversy has added to the growing tensions in the ongoing Monsoon Session, which has already seen disruptions over issues like the SIR exercise in Bihar and Trump’s claims of mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
