Nehru gave away 80% of Indus water to Pakistan: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

New Delhi: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said that the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan, signed in the 1960s by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, had deprived Indian farmers of their rightful share of water.

Addressing a group of farmers from North India who had gathered to discuss the treaty, he said

“This is a historic decision, the Indus Water Treaty has been cancelled, this is not an ordinary incident. When the Indus Water Treaty was signed, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister, he gave 80 per cent of the water to Pakistan. "

"Apart from giving maximum water to Pakistan, Nehru also gave Rs 83 crore, which is currently worth Rs 5, 500 crore rupees. By depriving our own farmers, we are giving water to those who are responsible for breeding terrorists," he added.

He questioned the decision asking why India gave away not only vital water resources but also funded Pakistan’s canal and water infrastructure.

Chouhan claimed that experts had opposed India showing too much generosity towards Pakistan, but Nehru allegedly overruled them, forcing a compromise.

He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had rectified this “historical injustice” by placing the treaty in abeyance.

Following the address, the farmers' groups signed a memorandum urging the Centre to permanently cancel the IWT and divert the water to benefit farmers in North India.

Earlier in the day, speaking media persons, Chouhan said the country is likely to achieve a 3.5 per cent farm sector growth rate during 2025–26, as he announced a pan-India 15-day campaign to educate farmers on new technologies ahead of the upcoming kharif sowing season.

“Globally, agriculture growth of 1.5–2 per cent is considered good. India is achieving at least 3 to 3.5 per cent growth. We expect to achieve 3–3.5 per cent growth even in the next year (2025–26),” Chouhan said.

Sharing details of the 15-day kharif extension campaign beginning 29 May, the minister said it aims to reach 1.3 crore farmers across 65,000 villages in 723 districts nationwide.

A total of 2,170 teams, comprising 3,749 agricultural scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and 2,980 Krishi Vigyan Kendra staff, will conduct daily visits to at least three panchayats each.

Chouhan said that the campaign expenses would be covered under existing budget allocations.