Chidambaram rues absence of unified command at Home ministry

Former Union minister P Chidambaram today rued the absence of a "unified command" at the Home Ministry level under the BJP-led NDA government, which he said was present during the UPA years to take stock of security situation.
Chidambaram said there used to be daily meetings involving the Home Ministry, IB, NSA among others to take stock of security during that period.
He was speaking at the launch of former NSA Shivshankar Menon's book "Choices: Inside the Making of India's Foreign Policy", which was also attended by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Stressing on the need to have dialogue with Pakistan, Chidambaram said India had "gained enormously" in terms of esteem in the world for having not retaliated after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

The decision was taken considering retaliation was not "feasible", he said.
Chidambaram also criticised the NDA government over its move to go public with the surgical strikes, saying it "limits options".
In the book, Menon argues that India would have responded differently to Mumbai terror attacks had there been a different "mix of people" at the helm.
"Personalities matter. With a different mix of people at the helm, it is quite possible that India would have chosen differently. In fact, if India is forced to make a similar choice in the future, I am sure it will respond differently," Menon wrote.