Tripura parties react to Bangladesh advisor Yunus’s ‘jibe’ on Seven Sisters

Ruling and Opposition parties in Tripura on Tuesday slammed Professor Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor of Bangladesh’s interim government, for his remarks in China on India’s northeastern states and urged the Centre to send a “befitting reply”, The Indian Express reports,

During his four-day visit to China in the last week of March, Yunus said that with Northeast India “landlocked”, Dhaka was the “only guardian of the ocean for all this region”.

Taking to social media, Tripura ruling alliance partner and TIPRA Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma called the remark “an indirect threat”.

“This is an indirect threat to the seven sisters of the northeast…He is asking China to go to Bangladesh and invest there. I want to tell the Government of India that till we change our position, until we have an alternative strategy, this man, this country will keep on threatening us,” Debbarma said.

India can engage with its neighbour but should do so from a position of strength, Debbarma added. “Look at (US president Donald) Trump, look at (Russian president) Vladimir Putin. When they talk to their neighbours today, they talk from a position of strength. India, till now, has been trying to manage the interim government of Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government will never change,” he said.

Stating that a section of Indians considered Bangladesh as India’s friend in the past, the royal scion-turned-politician said Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s family was India’s friend and his daughter and former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is now under asylum in India.

“That man (Yunus), going to China, is threatening us; people of the northeast. He is insinuating that we cannot do anything. Now, the government of India should think for how long silence should be maintained,” Debbarma said and added that tribals from Tiprasa, Chakma, Garo, Khasi, Manipuri and other tribes still live in Chittagong, Bandarban, Khagrachari, Sylhet and other parts of Bangladesh and claimed they are not happy.

Debbarma later clarified to indianexpress.com that China has port operations in Sri Lanka and is building a significant port presence in Myanmar, so any country can have access to seas through any country through formal processes.

“I am telling you that Tiprasa is still there today in Bangladesh. Chakma is there, Garo is there, Khasis, Manipuris…they are not happy. History is witness. When we got Independence in 1947, the Indian flag was hoisted for three days in Chittagong. Everyone thought it would be a part of India. But later the Pakistan Army came, laid down the Indian flag and hoisted the Pakistani flag, and Bangladesh was formed later,” he said, alleging that tribals were being tortured in Bangladesh. “Now Yunus is saying they are guardians of the ocean. Whose kingdom was that? Everybody knows that. That is why I am saying that the Government of India should have a Plan B,” he added.

Stating that a section of Indians considered Bangladesh as India’s friend in the past, the royal scion-turned-politician said Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s family was India’s friend and his daughter and former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is now under asylum in India.

“That man (Md. Yunus), going to China, is threatening us; people of the northeast. He is insinuating that we can’t do anything. Now Govt of India should think for how long silence will be maintained,” Debbarma said and added that tribals from Tiprasa, Chakma, Garo, Khasi, Manipuri and other tribes still live in Chittagong, Banderban, Khagrachari, Sylhet and other parts of Bangladesh and claimed they are not happy.

“I’m telling you that Tiprasa is still there today in Bangladesh. Chakma is there, Garo is there, Khasis, Manipuris…they are not happy. History is witness. When we got independence in 1947, the Indian flag was hoisted for three days in Chittagong. Everyone thought it would be a part of India. But later Pakistan Army came, laid down the Indian flag and hoisted Pakistani flag and Bangladesh was formed later. Torture is going on over the tribals there for 70 years. Now Md. Yunus is saying they are guardians of the ocean. Who state was CHT? Whose kingdom was that? Everybody knows that. That’s why I am saying that the Government of India should have plan B,” he stated.

Stating that Yunus’s comments were a threat to India, Debbarma said, “Md. Yunus inviting China to come to Bangladesh and referring NE India in China is very dangerous. Don’t take his threat lightly. We have to react and we have to do it with strength, with integrity. We Tiprasas are ready.”

Debbarma also said that if he gets a go-ahead from the Centre, he can initiate dialogue with Tiprasa and they would stand with him to fight. He also referred to the fact that Chittagong port, which came under an area previously governed by the erstwhile Manikya kings of Tripura, and said, “We will not need much time to convert landlocked to land-free with access to the sea.”

Debbarma later clarified to indianexpress.com that China has port operations in Sri Lanka, and so any country can have access to seas through any country through formal processes.

Tripura is only 66 km from Chittagong Port in Bangladesh through the state’s south district. Feni Bridge, which was launched a few years ago as a major trade and transhipment corridor between India and Bangladesh in South Tripura district, was expected to connect Tripura directly with Chittagong Port.

Meanwhile, former minister and Opposition Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman also reacted sharply to Yunus’s comments. “His intention was very clear. It was an indirect threat to all the seven sisters which are integral parts of India. Earlier, Comilla was a part of the erstwhile royal Kingdom of Tripura. We had access to the ocean then (through Chittagong). Time has come for the Government of India to explore how we can have access to the ocean. That would be a befitting reply from the Government of India,” Barman said.

Stating that it would be up to the Centre to react to Yunus’s comments, Barman said, “As a resident of the seven sisters, we can only say – don’t dare try to eliminate us or threaten us by showing the red dragon or red eye of China.”

Tripura Opposition leader and CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury brushed aside Yunus’s comments as “childish and immature” statements. He also said the prevailing situation in Bangladesh was such that Yunus would have to save his existence first and think of Northeast India later.

“There is something called international law, and according to it, access to sea is governed by rules and regulations. It cannot be ruled by his (Md. Yunus) own decision alone….. It is all bogus, I condemn these utterings,” Chaudhury said.

Terming the comments as “pressure tactics”, Chaudhury said, “…future will not be very happy for them. Our government is taking necessary steps”. He also said that the common man in Bangladesh does not agree with Yunus’s “daydreams” and that his comments in China were “bogus”.

BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharjee said the Centre has been taking a series of steps to safeguard its territory and its interests and would continue to do so. “He was given a responsibility in an urgent situation in Bangladesh. Everyone knows how that country has been going on since then. It is not even clear if there is an administration there. He may say anything to prove himself at the international level. The Government of India is taking a series of steps, and I am sure it will do more,” he said.

Yunus’s comments came as a pitch for an extension of the Chinese economy in Bangladesh during his four-day visit to China from March 26-29 this year.