‘Homegrown terrorists’ behind Pahalgam attack, suggests Chidambaram

A fresh political storm erupted after senior Congress leader and former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram questioned the involvement of Pakistan in the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, suggesting that the attackers could be “homegrown terrorists”.

The remarks triggered strong backlash from the BJP, which accused the Congress of repeatedly siding with India’s adversaries.

In an interview to a news portal, Chidambaram had said, “Have they identified the terrorists? Where they came from? I mean, for all we know, they could be homegrown terrorists. Why do you assume that they came from Pakistan? There’s no evidence of that.”

Reacting sharply, senior BJP leader Anurag Thakur condemned the remarks, saying: “Whenever it’s about Pakistan and terror, even Pakistan doesn’t advocate for itself as much as the Congress. What is the compulsion that the Congress has to take Pakistan’s side? Such a statement, coming from a former Home Minister, reveals the party’s mentality.”

BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya accused the Congress of consistently defending Pakistan even in the face of terrorist attacks. “Once again, the Congress rushes to give a clean chit to Pakistan — this time after the Pahalgam terror attack,” he said.

Chidambaram too hit back, accusing his critics of twisting his words. “Trolls use different tools to spread misinformation. The worst kind suppresses the full interview, takes two sentences, mutes some words, and paints the speaker in a black colour,” he posted, defending the broader context of his comments.

India