Congress rejects BJP's claim on uranium deal with Australia
What's the story
The Congress party has rejected the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was responsible for Australia's decision to sell uranium to India. The opposition party pointed out that the approval for such sales was obtained by then Australian PM Julia Gillard in December 2011, after the Indo-US Nuclear pact. This development took place during the tenure of India's Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
Counterclaim
BJP's Malviya credits Modi for uranium export agreement
The controversy erupted after BJP IT department head Amit Malviya claimed that Australia had refused to sell uranium to India in 2010 due to India's non-signatory status to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). He then credited Modi for a subsequent uranium export agreement between India and Australia. "This isn't just about uranium. It reflects India's transformed global standing," Malviya said on social media platform X.
Twitter Post
Amit Malviya's post lauding PM Modi's leadership
In 2010, Australia refused to sell uranium to India, citing our non-signatory status to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) July 9, 2026
Today, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India and Australia have struck a uranium export agreement.
This isn’t just about uranium.… pic.twitter.com/wbFytedQJy
Political debate
Jairam Ramesh accuses BJP of rewriting history
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh slammed the BJP for trying to take credit for an agreement that was reached years ago. He accused the ruling party of rewriting history for political gain and said, "The facts are clear. The groundwork for this agreement was laid years ago." The issue has sparked a political debate between the two parties over who should get credit for the development.
Twitter Post
Jairam Ramesh insists groundwork laid long ago
The BJP ecosystem is on an overdrive to show that Australia’s uranium sales to India are a Modi breakthrough.
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 10, 2026
On Dec 4 2011, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard got approval of her party to sell uranium to India following the India-US Nuclear Agreement of Oct 2008.
The BJP… pic.twitter.com/sHem7KpKXZ
Diplomatic developments
Controversy follows landmark pacts between India and Australia
The controversy comes after India and Australia signed a series of landmark pacts on civil nuclear energy, maritime security, and critical minerals sectors. The agreements were signed during a meeting between Modi and Australian PM Anthony Albanese. The civil nuclear energy pact will allow commercial uranium supplies from Australia to support India's nuclear power projects.