BJP president Nadda hails Modi, slams Nehru over Indus Waters Treaty

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J. P. Nadda on Monday (August 18, 2025) said that by putting the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tried to correct a “Himalayan blunder” committed by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

In a series of posts on X, Mr. Nadda went into details on the inception of the IWT and that former Prime Minister Nehru had not taken Parliament into confidence while concluding the agreement.

“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 two hours,” Mr. Nadda said.

“History must call it what it was: Nehru’s Himalayan Blunder. A Prime Minister who disregarded Parliament, gambled away India’s lifelines, and tied India’s hands for generations. Even today, India would have continued to pay the price for one man’s misplaced idealism, if not for Prime Minister Modi’s bold leadership and his commitment to nation first,” he added.

By putting the IWT in abeyance, Mr. Modi has corrected “yet another grave historical wrong committed by Congress”, Mr. Nadda said.

The IWT was suspended by India following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives.

Mr. Nadda’s remarks came after Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir recently told members of the Pakistani diaspora in the U.S. that any reduction in water flow would be met with destruction of Indian infrastructure. He also issued a nuclear warning, stating, “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.”