"What a weak govt it was": BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad on P Chidambaram's 26/11 retaliation remark

Patna (Bihar) [India], September 30 (ANI): BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday labelled UPA government, led by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a "weak government" following revelations of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram that India had considered military retaliation after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks but chose not to do so apparently under pressure from the US and other countries.
The BJP MP also sought a response from the Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, asking if he will say something on this.
Speaking to ANI, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Home Minister in Dr. Manmohan Singh's government P. Chidambaram has now admitted, after 16 years, that after the brutal 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, he was in favour of taking action against Pakistan, but the External Affairs department at that time stopped him, and Manmohan Singh remained silent. What a weak government it was; Indians were killed."
"Where was UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi? If she had acted, it would have been her call, just like it is now, Rahul Gandhi's... Will Rahul Gandhi say something?... Such a massive tragedy occurred, which P. Chidambaram has admitted, Rahul Gandhi, please say something..." the BJP MP added.
Chidambaram, who was the Union Home Minister in the then-ruling Congress-led UPA government, led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in an interview to a TV channel, said "the whole world was descending upon Delhi to tell us don't start a war."
"For example, Condoleezza Rice, who was a then Secretary of State, flew in two day or three days after I took over to meet me and the Prime Minister and to say, please don't react. I said this is a decision which the government will take," Chidrambaram told the TV channel interview.
"Without disclosing any official secret, it did cross my mind that we should do some act of retribution," he added.
"... the Prime Minister had discussed this even when the attack was going on...And the conclusion was largely influenced by the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) and the IFS (Indian Foreign Service) that we should not physically react to the situation," Chidambaram said in the interview.
Earlier today, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that India has "paid a heavy price" for the sins committed by the Congress Party while Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has accused the Oppostion party of "mishandling" the situation after the 2011 terror attacks in Mumbai in under foreign pressure.
"Time has changed. India won't tolerate any terrorist attack now!" Rijiju said on his X platform today.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi posted the clip of the Chidambaram's interview on his X platform and wrote, "After 17 years, Chidambaram, Former Home Minister admits what the nation knew - 26/11 was mishandled due to pressure from foreign powers. Too little, too late." (ANI)