Himanta Biswa Sarma blasts Nehru’s Indus blunder, hails Modi’s historic correction

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today launched a scathing critique of former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, calling the 1960 signing of the Indus Waters Treaty "one of the greatest strategic blunders in India’s history." 

In a hard-hitting statement, Sarma emphasized how Nehru, succumbing to immense pressure from the American administration and the World Bank, surrendered India's natural upper riparian advantage — handing over more than 80% of the Indus basin waters to Pakistan.

Detailing the grim impact, Sarma pointed out that India was left with just 33 million acre-feet (MAF) of water, compared to Pakistan’s staggering 135 MAF. "Full control over the mighty Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers was gifted away," he said, adding that India was restricted to minor rights over the western rivers, crippling the water security of Punjab, Haryana, and Jammu & Kashmir.

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"The misplaced obsession with international approval came at the cost of India's strategic and agricultural strength," Sarma remarked, highlighting the treaty’s long-term damage to national interests.

Turning to the present, the Chief Minister hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s "historic and corrective" decision to initiate India’s withdrawal from the Indus Waters Treaty. "By reclaiming sovereign rights over our rivers, Modi has not only undone a historic betrayal but has sent a powerful message that India will no longer reward terror with appeasement," Sarma declared.

He added that Modi’s move strikes a direct blow to Pakistan’s fragile economy, heavily reliant on Indus waters for over 75% of its agriculture, and signals the rise of an assertive, unapologetic India ready to defend its rightful interests.

"After six decades, the shackles are being broken," Sarma concluded. "A new era has begun."