GUWAHATI, Dec 17: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma strongly condemned recent remarks by a Bangladeshi political leader suggesting the isolation or separation of India’s northeastern states, terming them “irresponsible and dangerous” and asserting that India would not remain silent in the face of such rhetoric.
Sarma was reacting to comments made by Hasnat Abdullah, a senior leader of Bangladesh’s newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP), who reportedly said Dhaka could seek to “isolate” India’s Northeast and support separatist forces if New Delhi attempted to destabilise Bangladesh.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Lumding, the Chief Minister said that similar statements had been repeatedly emerging from across the border over the past year. “There are voices in Bangladesh that keep talking about detaching the northeastern states from India or merging them elsewhere. Such thinking is deeply troubling and must not be encouraged,” Sarma said.
Emphasising India’s strength, Sarma added, “India is a very big country, a nuclear power and the world’s fourth-largest economy. How can Bangladesh even think along these lines? This mindset is completely misguided.”
He cautioned that India should take a firm stand against such narratives and avoid extending any form of support or legitimacy to individuals or groups making provocative and destabilising remarks. “If this kind of behaviour continues, India will not remain silent,” the Chief Minister warned.
Abdullah had earlier claimed that the Northeast was geographically vulnerable due to its dependence on the narrow Siliguri Corridor, often referred to as the ‘Chicken’s Neck’, for connectivity with the rest of the country.
Sarma’s comments come amid heightened sensitivity over regional security and cross-border rhetoric, as India’s northeastern states share long and porous international borders with Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries. The Assam Chief Minister underscored the need to safeguard national unity and security while firmly countering narratives that threaten regional stability.
