New Delhi [India], August 19 : Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi attacked the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, saying that despite being in the Centre for 11 years, the latter has been avoiding responsibility by constantly blaming Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Telling the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre not to dwell on the past, and address the issue of vote theft, and the allegations against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
"In these 10-11 years, there are many things for which they (BJP) have blamed Nehru ji's to wash their hands from responsibility. They should fulfil their responsibilities, stop talking about the past, and talk about what is happening today. They should answer why SIR is being done, and talk about the issue of vote theft. If this is not true, then tell the public," the Congress leader told reporters outside Parliament.
The Wayanad MP's remarks come amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chairing the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Parliamentary meeting today said that former PM Jawaharlal Nehru had 'admitted' that the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan bought no benefit to India, according to sources.
"Nehru partitioned the country once, and then again. Under the Indus Water Treaty, 80 percent of the water was given to Pakistan. Later, through his secretary, Nehru admitted his mistake, saying that it brought no benefit," PM Modi said according to sources.
Multiple other minister who attended the alliance meeting hailed PM's remarks. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that Nehru, with the signing of the treaty with Pakistan "put the future of Indian farmers at stake."
"The distribution of water from the six rivers flowing in India took place 13 years after independence. After independence, 80% of the land was allocated to India, while only 20% went to East and West Pakistan.But 80% of the water from these rivers was given to Pakistan by the then Prime Minister Nehru ji, putting the future of Indian farmers at stake," he told reporters outside Sansad Bhavan.
He further added that India's rights over its rivers were also obstructed, with the country paying the price for it.
BJP MP Dinesh Sharma said that the 'dictatorship policy' of Congress is affecting the country even today, criticising Nehru "going alone" to give most of Indus water to Pakistan.
"The dictatorship policy of Congress was started with Jawaharlal Nehru and is ongoing till today. One man army, either with the cabinet, nor with opposition, He went alone to Pakistan and gave 80% of the Indus water to Pakistan. They had done partition once, then again they did it with the water. They made it so that if the dam in India needs to be cleaned, permission for this will have to be obtained from Pakistan," Sharma told ANI here.
Following the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April, which killed 26 people, India has, in exercise of its rights as a sovereign nation under international law, placed the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960, following nine years of negotiations between India and Pakistan, with the assistance of the World Bank, which is also a signatory.
The Treaty allocates the Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan and the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India.