Congress says SHANTI Bill bulldozed through Parliament for ‘TRUMP’, ‘ADANI’

The Congress on Saturday (December 20) took a sharp swipe at the Narendra Modi government over the passage of the SHANTI Bill (Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill), alleging that it was “bulldozed” through Parliament not only for ‘TRUMP but also for ADANI’.

Wordplay links Trump and Adani

Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, shared a screenshot of a media report on X claiming that the Adani Group plans to foray into nuclear energy after private firms were allowed to enter the sector.

Parliament on Thursday cleared the nuclear energy legislation, with the Rajya Sabha approving the Bill that seeks to open the tightly regulated civil nuclear sector to private participation.

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“SHANTI was bulldozed through in Parliament not only for TRUMP (The Reactor Use Management Programme) but also for ADANI (Accelerated Damaging Adhiniyam for Nuclear India),” Ramesh claimed.

The Congress has used political wordplay to attack the government over the SHANTI Bill. Jairam Ramesh claimed the legislation was rushed to align with US interests, dubbing it the TRUMP (The Reactor Use and Management Programme/Promise), and to favour large corporates, calling it ADANI (Accelerated Damaging Adhiniyam for Nuclear India).

‘Making SHANTI with once good friend’

Earlier, the Congress alleged that the SHANTI Bill was pushed through Parliament to help Prime Minister Narendra Modi restore “SHANTI” with his “once good friend”.

Ramesh said the legislation removes key provisions of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, a concern that was flagged in the United States’ National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) for 2026.

Noting that US President Donald Trump has signed the NDAA for the US fiscal year 2026, Ramesh said in a post on X, “The Act is 3,100 pages long. Page 1,912 has a reference to the joint assessment between the United States and India on Nuclear Liability Rules.”

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“Now we know for sure why the Prime Minister bulldozed the SHANTI Bill through Parliament earlier this week that, among other things, did away with key provisions of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, that had been passed unanimously by Parliament. It was to restore SHANTI with his once good friend,” he said, attaching a copy of the US law.

Ramesh further claimed that the SHANTI Act “may well be called the TRUMP Act (The Reactor Use and Management Promise Act)”.

Opposition alleges corporate favouritism

Speaking during the Rajya Sabha debate, the Congress leader urged the government not to promote private players at the cost of public sector undertakings in building nuclear power infrastructure. He also stressed the need to encourage indigenous technology to expand India’s energy capacity.

Also Read: What’s wrong with the SHANTI Act and how it can be fixed

Ramesh argued that private firms cannot become the growth engine of the nuclear sector, saying they cannot be placed above the country’s PSUs.

The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha by a voice vote, with the House rejecting opposition amendments seeking to refer it to a parliamentary committee. The Lok Sabha cleared the Bill on Wednesday.

Replying to the debate, Minister of State for Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh said the legislation aims to make India self-reliant in nuclear energy and reduce dependence on other sources.

(With agency inputs)