Weeks after Bangladesh interim government chief Muhammad Yunus's controversial remark on India's “Chicken's Neck” that links the Northeast to the rest of the country, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has taken to X to train guns on India's eastern neighbour.
On Sunday, Sarma shared a detailed map in an X post, in which he said, “Bangladesh has two of its own “chicken necks” and “both are far more vulnerable” than than India’s strategic corridor.
Taking to social media platform X, Sarma wrote, “To those who habitually threaten India on the “Chicken Neck Corridor”, should note these facts as well: Bangladesh has two of its own “chicken necks”. Both are far more vulnerable. First is the 80 Km North Bangladesh Corridor- from Dakhin Dinajpur to South West Garo Hills. Any disruption here can completely isolate the entire Rangpur division from the rest of Bangladesh.”
In the same post, he trained the spotlight on the second Chicken’s Neck in Bangladesh. “Second is the 28 km Chittagong Corridor, from South Tripura till the Bay of Bengal. This corridor, smaller than India’s chicken neck, is the only link between Bangladesh’s economic capital and political capital,” he said.
According to Sarma, if either of these corridors were to face disruption, the consequences for Bangladesh would be severe—critically affecting links within the country. Sarma further added that one corridor supports the connection between the nation's political and economic centers, while the other maintains access to the Rangpur division.
“I am only presenting geographical facts that some may tend to forget. Just like India’s Siliguri Corridor, our neighbouring country is also embedded with two narrow corridors of theirs," the chief minister concluded.
What Yunus said earlier
On his recent visit to China, Yunus had referred to India’s Northeastern region as “landlocked,” suggesting its reliance on transit routes through Bangladesh, while describing China as the “only guardian of the ocean” for the area. His remarks appeared to highlight Bangladesh's geographic leverage in the region.
This is not the first time Sarma has taken a dig at Bangladesh. At a press conference on May 21, the Assam CM said, “We have one Chicken's Neck. But Bangladesh has two chicken necks. If Bangladesh attacks our Chicken's Neck, we will attack both the Chicken Necks of Bangladesh... the one in Meghalaya connecting Chittagong port in Bangladesh is even thinner than India's Chicken's Neck and is located just a stone's throw away.”
India’s military might
The senior BJP leader also emphasised on India’s military strength, citing previous operations to underscore the country’s defense capabilities. “Bangladesh has to be reborn 14 times before attacking India," he had stated, referencing Operation Sindoor, during which India reportedly destroyed terror camps deep inside Pakistan and targeted 11 of its military bases.
The warning comes amid reports suggesting that China may be assisting Bangladesh in reviving a World War II-era airbase in Lalmonirhat, situated around 100km from the strategically sensitive Chicken’s Neck corridor—a narrow stretch of land connecting India’s mainland to its Northeastern states.
Why is it called Chicken’s Neck?
The Siliguri Corridor is a narrow strip of land in West Bengal that serves as the only land link between mainland India and its northeastern states — Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and Meghalaya, collectively known as the Seven Sisters. At its narrowest point, this corridor is just about 22 kilometers wide, flanked by Nepal to the north and Bangladesh to the south.
Due to its narrow width and strategic importance, the corridor is often referred to as the “Chicken’s Neck” in military and strategic discussions. Any disruption — whether from military aggression, natural disasters, or internal unrest — could effectively cut off the Northeast from the rest of India, making it one of the most sensitive and critical regions in the country’s geopolitical landscape.