As Parliament debates Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, former Union Minister P Chidambaram’s recent remarks on the terrorists involved in the killings have kicked up a row.

In an interview to The Quint, uploaded on Saturday (July 26), Chidambaram said the Pahalgam attackers “for all we know could be homegrown terrorists” and “why do you assume that they came from Pakistan”? He also said that “there is no evidence” that the terrorists came from Pakistan.

To a question on “what they (government) are trying to hide”, Chidambaram said: “They are hiding the fact. I think. And this is speculation. The CDS hinted at that – that we made tactical mistakes, we restrategised. So, what tactical mistakes were made? What was the re-strategising? Those questions either they (government) are incompetent to answer or they are unwilling to answer… They are unwilling to disclose what the NIA has done all these weeks.”

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“Have they identified the terrorists, where they came from? For all we know they could be homegrown terrorists. Why do you assume that they came from Pakistan? There is no evidence of that. They are also hiding the losses,” the Congress leader said in the interview.

He said he wrote in a column that in a war, losses occur on both sides. “I understand that India would have suffered losses. Be upfront. Winston Churchill in World War 2 made a statement every other day. Whatever losses Britain suffered, they made it plain… They (government) are reluctant to admit the losses… I think they think they can put a large shroud on Operation Sindoor.”

BJP’s national information and technology department in-charge Amit Malviya hit out at Chidambaram over his statement. “P Chidambaram, former UPA-era Home Minister and the original proponent of the infamous ‘saffron terror’ theory, covers himself with glory yet again.”

Quoting his interview, Malviya said: “Once again, the Congress rushes to give a clean chit to Pakistan — this time after the Pahalgam terror attack.”

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“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,” asked Malviya.

“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,” Malviya said on X.

Asked about BJP’s reaction, Chidambaram said: “I saw a troll and I have responded to the troll.” In a post on X on Monday, the Congress leader said: “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!”