P Chidambaram’s ‘home-grown terrorists’ remark sparks BJP-Congress clash after Delhi car blast

Chidambaram’s comment, made on social media platform X, questioned the circumstances that “turn Indian citizens- even educated persons into terrorists.”

“I have maintained before and after the Pahalgam terror attack that there are two kinds of terrorists—foreign-trained infiltrated terrorists and home-grown terrorists. The government knows this too. We should ask ourselves what circumstances turn educated Indian citizens into terrorists,” Chidambaram wrote.

The remark came days after the Red Fort car blast that killed at least 13 people and injured around 20, with investigations revealing the involvement of doctors linked to the Al-Falah University in Faridabad.

The comment has drawn fierce criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which accused the Congress of sympathising with terrorists.

“The Congress is giving soft support to terrorists,” alleged BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari.

“Terrorists are beasts who need to be killed. When they get hurt, Congress leaders start screaming. Why do they speak like spokespersons of terrorists?” said Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

Senior BJP leader Nalin Kohli said, “Terrorists are terrorists. It doesn’t matter what classification Congress wants to make. In the fight against terror, there are only two sides—those who stand with terrorists and those who stand against them. Mr. Chidambaram should explain to the victims which side he is on.”

Echoing similar views, Neeraj Kumar of the JD(U) said, “A terrorist is a terrorist. What’s this new language- foreign or home-grown? Congress seems to be inventing categories to soften the blow.”

Earlier, the Congress had blamed the government for what it called a “major intelligence failure” and a “delayed response” in declaring the Delhi explosion a terror attack.

The debate has also turned toward the role of education in radicalisation, as three of the accused are reportedly practising doctors.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “The Delhi blast has once again proved that some diseases cannot be cured by education. If someone has bad intentions, education only sharpens their ability to cause harm.”

As the political blame game intensifies, investigators continue to probe the alleged terror module linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed women’s wing, with several university staffers and administrators now under scrutiny.