Our Bureau
Guwahati
A few weeks ago, Bangladesh’s interim government chief, Muhammed Yunus commented on the narrow strip of land in Siliguri of West Bengal that connects India to its Northeast region, calling it the ‘Chicken Neck Corridor’. The Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sharma has clapped back on those who dared to threaten India habitually on the ‘Chicken Neck Corridor’.
Mr. Sarma has given a strict warning to focus and care about its own territory rather than threatening India. He has stated that the neighbouring country rather than focusing on India should be worrying about the two strips of land of Bangladesh that lie between Indian regions and seem more vulnerable during these times. He said before threatening India they should not forget their lands which are more vulnerable than Siliguri.
He took to his X handle and gave three facts in reply to Muhammed Yunus’ threats. The facts that he presented were:
- Bangladesh has two of its own “chicken necks”. Both are far more vulnerable.
- First is the 80 Km long 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.
- 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.
Along with that, in his post he also wrote, “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 CM of Assam had previously condemned the comments made by Yunus in his trip to China. Yunus said that Bangladesh was the sole guardian of the ocean and has landlocked India’s Northeast states. Mr. Sarma didn’t take these comments generously and stated that they were rather offensive and strongly condemnable.
On April 1st, he posted on X which read, “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.”
