Friday, 25 April 2025
Friday, 25 April 2025
The Congress on Monday criticised the Centre’s foreign policy, reminding Prime Minister Modi of his letter to Bangladesh on ‘strong ties’ while slamming Mohammad Yunus for calling Bangladesh the region’s ‘only guardian of the ocean.’
Yunus had recently urged China to extend its economic influence to his country during his visit to Beijing.
"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.
The video surfaced on social media Monday.
Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera said Bangladesh was inviting China for a siege of India.
"The Bangladesh government's approach is very dangerous for the safety of our Northeast. The government is not watching Manipur and China has established a village in Arunachal Pradesh. Our foreign policy is in such a deplorable state that the country, for whose creation we played a major role, is now busy trying to surround us," he said.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently wrote to Bangladesh, highlighting the "strong ties" between the two nations. "After that Muhammad Yunus' recent remarks about Northeast India and China are deeply concerning and unacceptable, as they undermine India's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.
BJP leaders from the northeast also criticised Yunus’, calling his comment “offensive".
"The statement made by Md Younis 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," Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X.
"Such provocative statements by Md Younis must not be taken lightly, as they reflect deeper strategic considerations and longstanding agendas," he added.
Sarma pointed out that this remark also underscored 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.
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 kilometres away.
Former Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh said Yunus was attempting to frame the Northeast as a "strategic pawn".
"It is apparent that Md Yunus and his interim government in Bangladesh are attempting to frame the Northeast as a strategic pawn to serve their geopolitical ambitions. Such provocative and irresponsible statements are unbecoming of a leader, and I condemn his remarks in the strongest possible terms," Biren Singh, a BJP leader, said.
"Let it be made absolutely clear, India's unity and territorial integrity are non-negotiable and cannot be challenged by anyone. Md Yunus must exercise restraint; making reckless comments about a nation like India is not only unwise but also lead to consequences he may come to regret," he added.
Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Debbarma on Monday said that letting go of the Chittagong port in present-day Bangladesh in 1947 was India's "biggest mistake”, and made a pitch for a route to the ocean with the support of "indigenous people".
"Time for India to make a route to the ocean by supporting our indigenous people who once ruled Chittagong so we are no longer dependent on an ungrateful regime. India’s biggest mistake was to let go of the port (Chittagong) in 1947 despite the hill people living there wanting to be a part of the Indian Union," Debbarma said.
"Mr Yunus may think he is the guardian of the ocean but the reality is he is a stop-gap leader at the age of almost 85. Let’s not forget Tripura is only a few miles away from the port," he added.
Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of Prime Minister Modi's economy advisory council, questioned why Mr Yunus mentioned the Northeast. "Interesting that Yunus is making a public appeal to the Chinese on the basis that 7 states in India are land-locked. China is welcome to invest in Bangladesh, but what exactly is the significance of 7 Indian states being landlocked?" he posted on X.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Tuesday said this was a "very serious issue" and it concerns the "safety and security" of the nation.
"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 told PTI Videos outside the Parliament building.
Former Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, Veena Sikri, also condemned Mr Yunus' statement. "He has absolutely no right to make a statement like that. He knows that the northeast is an integral part of India, and we have had very close discussions with the Government of Bangladesh on access by Northeast India to the Bay of Bengal, and there are formal agreements on this," she told news agency ANI.
