NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a sharp critique of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) signed by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, revealing that the agreement included a clause barring India from desilting its own dams without Pakistan’s consent. He called the pact a blow to national interest and an act that continues to harm Indian farmers and agriculture.
Addressing the Lok Sabha, PM Modi said:
“The country will be shocked to learn that these facts were hidden and suppressed. Every dam has a mechanism for desilting because accumulated silt and debris reduce its capacity. But Nehru agreed to a Pakistani condition that India cannot clean these dams without their permission. Our dams, our water — but Pakistan’s decision.”
He further alleged that the desilting gates of at least one dam had been permanently welded shut to prevent accidental operation, a move he said was a result of treaty obligations.
PM Modi also cited a conversation Nehru allegedly had with Niranjan Das Gulati, who had worked on the treaty, where Nehru reportedly admitted the decision was a mistake.
“He thought the treaty would pave the way for resolving other issues, but we remained stuck at square one,” the PM remarked.
He accused Nehru of failing to foresee the long-term impact of the treaty, stating that it left farmers in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi water-starved, undermining both agriculture and power generation in northern India.
Modi further lambasted the Congress, calling the 1960 agreement a “betrayal of India’s heritage and pride.”
“These rivers are part of our cultural heritage. Nehru handed over 80% of the water to Pakistan — rivers that originate in India. What was the rationale? Where was the diplomacy? What was the national interest?”
He also pointed out that millions of rupees were given to Pakistan under the pact to build canals, further weakening India’s position.
The PM added that after the Pahalgam massacre, India had suspended the IWT and begun desilting work. However, the welded dam gates remain a technical hurdle, obstructing full-scale efforts.
Finally, Modi said plans are now underway to redirect water from these rivers to Rajasthan and Gujarat via an elaborate canal network, an effort aimed at correcting what he described as “historic blunders.”
