PM Narendra Modi criticised the Congress for the Indus Waters Treaty, accusing Nehru of giving 80% of India's water to Pakistan, claiming it betrayed India's interests.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on previous Congress government of mortgaging India’s interests through Indus Waters Treaty.

While speaking during the special discussion in the Lok Sabha on “India’s strong, successful and decisive Operation Sindoor in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam," the Prime Minister said that the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru agreed to give 80% of India’s water to Pakistan.

“It has been a long-standing habit of the Congress to mortgage India’s interests. The biggest example of this is the Indus Waters Treaty, signed by Pandit Nehru. Those rivers are part of India’s civilisational identity, our very roots are connected to them. Pandit Nehru agreed to give 80% of India’s water to Pakistan."

VIDEO | Prime Minister Narendra Modi (@narendramodi), speaking in the Lok Sabha, says, “It has been a long-standing habit of the Congress to mortgage India’s interests. The biggest example of this is the Indus Waters Treaty, signed by Pandit Nehru. Those rivers are part of… — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 29, 2025

He further said that the treaty was a big betrayal for India as the country was left with only 20% of the Indus River system.

“Can anyone explain the mindset behind such a decision? We were left with only 20% of the Indus River system. They gave 80% to a country that openly calls itself India’s enemy…" he added.

The Prime Minister further said, that the then government gave authority to World Bank to decide on Indus and its waters.

“In 1961, Nehru accepted he hoped the Indus water treaty would pave the way for resolving other issues, but we remain stuck. Nehru understood that diplomacy which ignored the existence of the farmers entirely. Nehru agreed to Pakistan’s demand that India would not clean or desilt the waste that comes into the dam built on the Indian side," he added.

He said that without Indus Water Treaty, western India would have had major projects, farmers would get water, drinking water issues would ease, and India could produce more electricity.

The Prime Minister later asserted that the Indus Waters Treaty would be kept in abeyance, saying that blood and water cannot flow together. He said there was an atmosphere of insecurity before 2014, and several lives were lost due to a “weak" Congress government.

Following the Pahalgam terror attack in April, India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) suspended the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan indefinitely.

India and Pakistan signed the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960, with the World Bank as an additional signatory. The pact sought to divide the water of the Indus river and its tributaries equitably between the two countries. Under the treaty, water from three eastern rivers—Beas, Ravi, and Sutlej—was allocated to India, and that from the three western rivers—Chenab, Indus, and Jhelum—to Pakistan.

view comments

Location :

New Delhi, India, India

First Published:

News india 'India Has Corrected Indus Treaty Mistake': PM Modi Says Blood And Water Can't Flow Together

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to ourTerms of Use and Privacy Policy.