National Security At Stake? Why Shashi Tharoor Thinks Centre's Nuclear Bill Could Be Dangerous

Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, on Wednesday launched a strong attack on the proposed SHANTI Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha, cautioning that the legislation, in its current form, could

undermine public safety and national security. Participating in the debate, Tharoor underscored the importance of strengthening India's energy security but warned against what he termed the government’s “haste-driven push for privatisation” in a sector as sensitive as nuclear energy.Calling for a detailed and bipartisan examination, Tharoor demanded that the Bill be referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee for comprehensive scrutiny before being implemented. He argued that opening up the civil nuclear domain without adequate safeguards could have far-reaching consequences."We are debating a framework that will define India’s strategic foundations for decades," he said, adding that the Bill introduces ambiguity in areas where absolute clarity is essential.The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill seeks to open India’s tightly regulated civil nuclear sector to private participation, an area that has so far remained largely under government control. The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday despite objections raised by the opposition.

Why is Tharoor opposing the SHANTI bill?

Tharoor expressed alarm over provisions that allow for the dilution of safety norms, flagging Section 44, which empowers the government to exempt nuclear facilities from licensing requirements. According to the Congress leader, such sweeping discretion could create a dangerous regulatory vacuum and expose citizens to unacceptable risks in the absence of robust legal safeguards, news agency IANS reported.Another major concern raised was the inadequacy of compensation mechanisms. Tharoor noted that despite global inflation and hard lessons from nuclear disasters such as Fukushima, the compensation cap under the Bill remains pegged at around Rs 3,900 crore. He also criticised the proposal to limit the period for filing claims to 10-20 years, arguing that radiation-induced illnesses often surface much later, effectively denying victims access to justice.Tharoor further warned against opening the entire nuclear fuel cycle to private players without strict eligibility and accountability norms. While investment is necessary unregulated privatisation could result in "systemic risk", where profits are privatised but liabilities in the event of an accident are socialised, forcing the state to bear the full burden, he said.Also Read: Explained: What Is the SHANTI Bill Passed by Lok Sabha and Why Is It Being Strongly Opposed?

Raising serious civil rights concerns, Tharoor objected to provisions that vest the power to file criminal complaints against defaulting operators solely with the central government. This, he said, would deny affected communities the right to independently seek legal redress."The strength of a law is measured not by intent alone, but by how it protects the most vulnerable," Tharoor told the House, stressing that justice cannot be constrained by artificial time limits.(With agency inputs)