"Nehru’s Greatest Strategic Blunder Corrected": Assam CM Lauds Modi’s Indus Treaty Decision

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday strongly backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to initiate India’s withdrawal from the Indus Waters Treaty, calling it a historic correction of one of India's "greatest strategic blunders."

CM Sarma remarked that former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s signing of the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960 was a major strategic failure that compromised India’s long-term interests. 

"Despite India’s natural upper riparian advantage, Nehru, under pressure from the American administration and the World Bank, handed over more than 80% of the Indus basin waters to Pakistan," CM Sarma said. 

He highlighted that while Pakistan received a staggering 135 million acre-feet (MAF) of water annually, India was left with just 33 MAF and was restricted to minor usage rights over the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab).

CM Sarma criticized Nehru’s "misplaced obsession with international approval," saying it had weakened India's agricultural and strategic strength, particularly impacting Punjab, Haryana, and Jammu & Kashmir.

Lauding Modi’s action, Sarma stated, "By initiating India’s withdrawal from the treaty, Prime Minister Modi has reclaimed India’s sovereign rights over its rivers, correcting a historic betrayal that had shackled India for over six decades." He added that the move delivers a strong blow to Pakistan’s economy, which is heavily dependent on Indus waters, and signals the rise of an assertive India determined to protect its national interests.

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