Overview
- Speaking in Mumbai after inaugurating phase one of the Navi Mumbai International Airport, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Congress to clarify who stopped military action in 2008.
- Modi referenced a former home minister’s remarks that a foreign country prevented India’s planned retaliation following the Mumbai terror attacks.
- P. Chidambaram has said he favored retaliatory action at the time but was persuaded to pursue non‑military measures.
- Chidambaram attributed the decision to counsel from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Foreign Service advocating a diplomatic route.
- He also recalled a visit by then US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to New Delhi urging restraint, which Modi highlighted while stressing national security and pointing to Operation Sindoor.