Bangladesh’s ‘chicken necks’ more vulnerable than India’s, says Assam CM
PARBATTA NEWS DESK
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that Bangladesh has two narrow land corridors similar to India’s Siliguri Corridor, which he described as “far more vulnerable”.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, Sarma made the remarks in a post on social media platform X on Sunday, stating that those who “habitually threaten” India over its so-called “chicken neck” should take note of Bangladesh’s geographical vulnerabilities.
“The first is the 80 km North Bangladesh Corridor—from Dakhin Dinajpur to South West Garo Hills. Any disruption here can completely isolate the Rangpur division from the rest of Bangladesh,” he said.
“The second is the 28 km Chittagong Corridor, from South Tripura till the Bay of Bengal. This smaller corridor is the only land link between Bangladesh’s economic capital and political capital,” Sarma added.
Hindustan Times reports that the Assam CM compared these two areas with India’s Siliguri Corridor — a narrow strip of land that connects India’s northeastern states to the mainland — and suggested that Bangladesh’s corridors pose greater strategic risks.
Sarma clarified, according to the report, that he was “only presenting geographical facts that some may tend to forget”.
His remarks come in response to earlier comments made by Bangladesh’s chief advisor Muhammad Yunus. Last month, Yunus suggested that Bangladesh could serve as a strategic maritime gateway for India’s landlocked northeastern region, and proposed that China expand its economic influence through Bangladesh.
As reported by Hindustan Times, Yunus had stated: “The seven sisters of India are landlocked. Bangladesh is the only guardian of the ocean in this region. This is a massive opportunity—an extension of the Chinese economy.”
Sarma strongly criticised those comments at the time, describing them as “offensive and strongly condemnable”. He said the statements perpetuate the “vulnerability narrative” linked to India’s Siliguri Corridor.
