Congress Claims Modi Tweaked Nuclear Law

The Congress on Friday alleged that the Narendra Modi government altered India’s nuclear liability framework to align it with United States interests, citing a provision in a US defence law signed by President Donald Trump.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh claimed that recent changes to India’s nuclear law were rushed through Parliament with Washington “firmly in mind”. He referred to a section of the United States’ National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, which mandates a joint assessment between India and the US on nuclear liability rules.

According to Ramesh, a provision buried deep within the legislation calls for the establishment of a joint consultative mechanism under the US–India Strategic Security Dialogue. This mechanism is tasked with assessing the implementation of the 2008 civil nuclear cooperation agreement and exploring ways for India to align its domestic nuclear liability rules with international norms.

“Now we know for sure why the Prime Minister bulldozed the SHANTI Bill through Parliament earlier this week,” Ramesh said in a social media post, referring to the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025. He alleged that the new law diluted key provisions of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, which had been passed unanimously by Parliament.

The nuclear liability law has long been seen as a major hurdle that prevented the full implementation of the Indo–US civil nuclear deal signed during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Ramesh suggested that the latest changes were aimed at removing this obstacle, taking a swipe at the Prime Minister’s public bonhomie with Trump by saying the SHANTI Act could well be dubbed the “TRUMP Act”.

The Congress leader’s remarks came after the Rajya Sabha cleared the SHANTI Bill, following its passage in the Lok Sabha earlier in the week. The Union government has defended the legislation, saying it is intended to reduce India’s dependence on fossil fuels, expand atomic energy capacity, and open the tightly regulated civil nuclear sector to private participation.

During the debate in the Upper House, Ramesh opposed the Bill, arguing that it was being rushed through without adequate consultation on an issue of long-term national importance. He also accused the BJP-led government of abandoning the stand taken by its own senior leaders when the 2010 nuclear liability law was enacted.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also strongly opposed the Bill in Parliament, describing it as a “dangerous leap into privatised nuclear energy”. He raised concerns over the cap on liability, the potential burden on taxpayers, and the possibility that genuine victims of a nuclear accident could be excluded from compensation or barred from filing complaints.

Ramesh further urged the government to focus on standardising India’s indigenous 700 MW nuclear reactors instead of relying on designs from multiple foreign vendors. “We are self-reliant in 700 MW plants,” he said, warning that a “vendor-driven” approach could meet the same fate as the farm laws that were eventually repealed after widespread protests.