External affairs minister S. Jaishankar Wednesday delivered a rebuttal to Bangladesh's chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, who described India’s northeast as "landlocked" and positioned Bangladesh as the "guardian of ocean access" for the region.

Jaishankar emphasised India’s extensive connectivity infrastructure, stating, “We, after all, have the longest coastline in the Bay of Bengal, of almost 6,500 km. India shares borders not only with five BIMSTEC members, connects most of them, but also provides much of the interface between the Indian sub-continent and ASEAN. Our north-eastern region in particular is emerging as a connectivity hub for the BIMSTEC, with a myriad network of roads, railways, waterways, grids, and pipelines.”

Jaishankar also stressed that India believes in an integrated outlook towards cooperation, not one subject to "cherry-picking."

The remarks from the external affairs minister came in response to Yunus’ comments made during his recent four-day visit to China, where he described India’s northeast as “a landlocked region of India. They have no way to reach out to the ocean.”

Yunus presented Bangladesh as the primary maritime gateway for the region and urged China to expand its economic influence in Bangladesh, calling the country the “only guardian of the ocean.”

Yunus’ statements coincided with Bangladesh signing nine agreements with China and securing a $2.1 billion financial package and signing agreements for economic collaboration, including the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project (TRCMRP).

Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s commitment to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), stating, “We are conscious that our cooperation and facilitation are an essential prerequisite for the smooth flow of goods, services, and people in this larger geography. Keeping this geo-strategic factor in mind, we have devoted increasing energies and attention to the strengthening of BIMSTEC in the last decade.”

The controversy has also reignited discussions over the strategic "Chicken’s Neck" corridor—a narrow land strip in West Bengal linking the Northeast to the rest of India.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma called Yunus’ statements “offensive” and “strongly condemnable.”

He warned that “such provocative statements by Muhammad Yunus must not be taken lightly, as they reflect deeper strategic considerations and longstanding agendas.”

Sarma further underscored the importance of strengthening railway and road networks in the region to counter potential vulnerabilities.

Former Manipur CM N. Biren Singh also criticised Yunus, accusing Bangladesh’s interim government of treating India’s Northeast as a “strategic pawn.”