Chidambaram's 26/11 remark will only help BJP, says Cong's Alvi; questions timing

NEW DELHI: On former Union minister P Chidambaram’s statement that foreign pressure restrained the Manmohan Singh-led govt from retaliating against Pakistan after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, Congress fumctionary Rashid Alvi has questioned why Chidambaram made the claim after all these years and if it implied that he had acted under US pressure.

“Such a statement will only benefit BJP. If Chidambaram disagreed at that time, he should have resigned,” Alvi said while speaking to news agency IANS about the former Union minister’s remarks in a TV interview.

“There are a lot people within Congress who want to weaken the party and described this to be akin to ‘a house catching fire because of its own lamp’,” he said.

“What is the point of this statement after 16 years. Why do you (Chidambaram) want to prove that UPA govt was working under the pressure of US? This means that you want to strengthen BJP,” he added.

BJP had on Tuesday launched a major onslaught on Congress over Chidambaram’s statement in a TV interview where he had said that India had considered military retaliation after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks but chose not to do so, apparently under pressure from US and other countries.