Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Congress-led UPA government over its response to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, accusing it of displaying weakness under foreign pressure.

Speaking after inaugurating the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), PM Modi said, "Mumbai is not only the economic capital city but also one of the most vibrant cities in India. This is the reason terrorists attacked Mumbai in 2008. But the then Congress government gave a message of weakness."

Referring to former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s recent remarks that the UPA government refrained from retaliating against Pakistan after the 26/11 attacks due to “intense international pressure,” PM Modi questioned the Congress leadership. "Recently, a senior Congress leader and former Home Minister has revealed that after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, our security forces were ready to attack Pakistan, but due to pressure from another country, the Congress government at the time stopped our security forces," he said.

Slamming the opposition party, Modi further added, "Congress needs to tell who made the decision under pressure from a foreign power. The country has every right to know. Congress’s weakness strengthened the terrorists. The country repeatedly has had to pay for this mistake by sacrificing lives."

Chidambaram, who took over as Home Minister shortly after the 26/11 attacks that killed 175 people, had recently said, "The whole world descended upon Delhi to tell us don’t start a war."

Meanwhile, the inauguration of the Navi Mumbai International Airport marked a major milestone for India’s aviation sector. The airport’s first phase is designed to handle 20 million passengers annually, while the completed project will feature four terminals and two parallel runways, with a total capacity of 90 million passengers per year and 3.25 million metric tonnes of cargo.