Why do you assume they came from Pak?: Chidambaram's 'homegrown terrorist' remark stirs row

Barely hours before the debate on Operation Sindoor in Parliament on Monday, former home minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram triggered a massive political controversy with his comment in an interview, in which he said "homegrown terrorists" could be involved in the Pahalgam terror attack.

He also said that "there is no evidence” so far that the killers came from Pakistan.

Chidambaram in an interview with The Quint 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."

Chidambaram also questioned Centre's 'silence' on the issue. "And why is the Prime Minister not speaking on Operation Sindhu? Why do you think there's a reluctance to have a debate in the temple of democracy? That's what Parliament is. After all, Prime Minister Modi has addressed the nation. He's addressed various rallies," he said.

Reacting sharply to his remarks, BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya posted on 'X' that 'Congress rushes to give a clean chit to Pakistan'.

"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?' Malviya asked.

As row erupted over his remark, Chidambaram in a post on X said, "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!"