In a bold move on August 19, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged senior leaders to launch a nationwide campaign exposing what he called Jawaharlal Nehru’s “betrayal” in signing the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Modi claimed that India’s first Prime Minister made key concessions to Pakistan sacrificing national and agricultural interests without consulting Parliament or his Cabinet, allegedly to enhance his own international image.

This proclamation comes amid renewed scrutiny of India’s water-sharing deal with Pakistan, originally brokered under World Bank mediation in 1960. Modi accused Nehru that he gave Pakistan a unequal part of the important river water, which led to the "twice divided" of the country - one geographical and another based on resources.

In the NDA parliamentary meeting, Modi's remarks were given by BJP President J.P. Nadda also repeated. Nadda termed the treaty as "Himalayan mistakes" and also said that Nehru had accepted it without legislative approval. The narrative underscores the BJP’s long-standing argument that the IWT undermines India’s agrarian sectors and farming communities.

Historical debates on the IWT are being resurrected as Modi positions the treaty as emblematic of misplaced trust and poor judgment in foreign policy. As he calls upon citizens to reassess the legacy of Nehru’s decisions, the campaign is poised to ignite political and historical discussions nationwide framing water equity as a matter both symbolic and strategic.