New Delhi [India], August 18 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda on Monday called the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 one of the biggest blunders of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, accusing him of putting national interest at stake for personal ambitions.
The BJP national president said the nation must remember how the treaty compromised India's water security.
In a post on X, Nadda said, "The Indus Water Treaty, 1960, was one of the biggest blunders of former PM Jawaharlal Nehru that kept national interest at the altar of personal ambitions. The nation must know that when former Pandit Nehru signed the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, he unilaterally handed over 80 per cent of Indus basin waters to Pakistan, leaving India with just 20 per cent of the share. It was a decision that permanently compromised India's water security and national interest."
https://x.com/jpnadda/status/1957392900016549945
The BJP leader highlighted the manner in which the treaty was finalised, saying Nehru acted without proper consultation. "The most appalling aspect was that he did it without consulting the Indian Parliament. The treaty was signed in September 1960. However, it was placed before Parliament only two months later, in November, and that too, for a token discussion of mere 2 hours. Read this thread to see the full scale of this national betrayal," Nadda further wrote.
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed between India and Pakistan in September 1960, brokered by the World Bank. It allocated control over the waters of the three eastern rivers, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej, to India, and the three western rivers, Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab, to Pakistan.
The agreement has remained in force despite wars and tensions between the two countries. However, it has often been criticised within India as being unfair to India's share of water rights.
On August 14, India firmly rejected the recent award issued by the Hague-based Court of Arbitration under the Indus Waters Treaty, citing the court's lack of jurisdiction, legitimacy, and competence.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that India's position on the matter remains unchanged, emphasising that the treaty stands suspended following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025, that claimed the lives of 26 tourists.
India has never accepted the legality, legitimacy, or competence of the so-called Court of Arbitration. Its pronouncements are therefore without jurisdiction, devoid of legal standing, and have no bearing on India's rights of utilisation of waters," Jaiswal said while responding to a question by ANI during a weekly media briefing.
India accused Pakistan of manipulating the treaty process to deflect from its support of terrorism, labelling the arbitration a "desperate attempt" to avoid accountability. India exercised its sovereign right under international law to place the treaty in abeyance, linking its reinstatement to Pakistan's verifiable cessation of cross-border terrorism support.
India also rejected Pakistan's misleading references to the ruling given by the Court.