Taking exception to Bangladesh Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus’s remarks inviting China to extend its economic influence in north-east, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday termed the statement as “offensive and strongly condemnable.”
Several political parties including Congress also condemned the remarks and termed them as “shameful” and “provocative.”
The strong reaction came after Yunus said Bangladesh is the “only guardian of the ocean” in the region and urged China to extend its economic influence to his country, mentioning that India’s northeastern states being landlocked could prove to be an opportunity.
He made this statement during a visit to China last week.
Assam Chief Minister Sarma described the statement as “offensive and strongly condemnable,” and called for prioritisation of exploring alternative routes connecting the Northeast to the rest of India, bypassing the ‘Chicken’s Neck’.
“The statement made by Md Yunus of Bangladesh, the so-called interim Government referring to the seven sister states of Northeast India as landlocked and positioning Bangladesh as their guardian of ocean access, is offensive and strongly condemnable,” Sarma said in a social media post.
“Such provocative statements by Md Yunus must not be taken lightly, as they reflect deeper strategic considerations and longstanding agendas,” he added.
“The seven states of India, the eastern part of India, are called the seven sisters. They are a landlocked region of India. They have no way to reach out to the ocean,” he said.
A video of it surfaced on social media on Monday. Sarma pointed out that this remark underscores the “persistent vulnerability narrative associated with India’s strategic ‘Chicken’s Neck’ corridor”.
He called for the prioritisation of exploring alternative road routes connecting the Northeast to the rest of India, effectively bypassing the ‘Chicken’s Neck’.
“Historically, even internal elements within India have dangerously suggested severing this critical passageway to isolate the Northeast from the mainland physically. Therefore, it is imperative to develop more robust railway and road networks both underneath and around the Chicken’s Neck corridor,” he said. Sarma said this may pose significant engineering challenges, but it can be achieved with “determination and innovation”.
The strategic Siliguri Corridor, called the ‘Chicken’s Neck’ for its shape, is a strip of land located in northern West Bengal, having a width of just over 20 km. This narrow strip, which connects the Northeast to the rest of India, is sandwiched between Nepal and Bangladesh, with Bhutan and China a few hundred km away.
Tipra Motha Party chief Pradyot Manikya issued an even more fiery response, suggesting that India should take a more aggressive approach to securing its access to the sea.
“Rather than spending billions on innovative and challenging engineering ideas, we might as well break up Bangladesh and have our own access to the sea,” Manikya said.
In a series of tweets, he called India’s decision to relinquish control over Chittagong port in 1947 “the nation’s biggest mistake.” Advocating for a strategic sea route, he urged India to reduce its dependence on Bangladesh by supporting indigenous groups that historically ruled Chittagong.
“The Chittagong hill tracts were always inhabited by indigenous tribes that always wanted to be part of India since 1947. There are lakhs and lakhs of Tripuri, Garo, Khasi, and Chakma people residing in Bangladesh in terrible conditions in their traditional lands. This should be utilised for our national interest and for their well-being,” he added.
Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’s comments drew sharp reactions from political leaders across party lines on Tuesday, dubbing his remarks as “shameful” and “provocative”.
Congress leader Pawan Khera on Monday shared a video clip on social media of Yunus, in which he claimed that Bangladesh was the sole “guardian of the ocean (Bay of Bengal),” as India’s northeastern states were “landlocked”. He said this opens up a “huge possibility” and urged China to extend its economic influence to his country. These comments were purportedly made during his four-day visit to China.
“It’s a very shameful comment...He is mentioning regions of our country to move the China agenda. I feel India should take a tough stand on it. It endangers the safety and security of the nation,” she said.
Khera, who is Congress party’s head of media and publicity department, alleged that “Bangladesh is inviting China to encircle India.” “This attitude of the Bangladesh government is very dangerous for the security of our North East region. The government is not taking care of Manipur and China has already settled villages in Arunachal,” Khera said in a social media post in Hindi.
Last week, Bangladesh’s chief adviser met Chinese President Xi Jinping and sought stepped-up investments from China to revive Bangladesh’s flagging economy, hit by a political and economic crisis. “It’s very important that we see China as our good friend,” Yunus said, projecting Beijing as a balancing factor against New Delhi. He expects bilateral relations to enter a new stage, Yunus told the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency in an interview during the visit.
