New Delhi [India], April 1 (ANI): The former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Veena Sikri , has firmly denounced the remarks made by Bangladesh's Head of Government, Muhammad Yunus , asserting that Bangladesh is the "sole protector" of the Indian Ocean for the area, since the seven northeast Indian states are " landlocked." Sikri found Yunus' remarks "disturbing" and stressed that the Northeast is an essential part of India.
Following Yunus’s comments during his four-day trip to China, the ex-Indian ambassador claimed that the Nobel laureate did not have “the authority” to express such an opinion.
In discussions with ANI, Sikri remarked, “This statement from the Chief Adviser is extremely startling.” Muhammad Yunus He has absolutely no justification for making such a statement. He is aware that the northeastern region is an essential part of India, and we have engaged in detailed talks with the Bangladeshi government regarding Northeast India’s access to the Bay of Bengal, with official accords in place on this matter.”
Sikri additionally cautioned Bangladesh that should it show disinterest in providing connectivity rights to Northeast India, it would not be entitled to water rights in response. "This statement needs to be condemned," she asserted.
“I can make one thing crystal clear to Bangladesh: If they do not wish to grant connectivity rights to Northeast India, then they shouldn’t anticipate having any rights as a riparian country. They must understand this unequivocally and should harbor no delusions about the matter,” she stated additionally.
Further, Defence expert Praful Bakshi also responded to Yunus' statement, saying that India had created Bangladesh and did not take any cartographic advantage while doing so.
Bakshi voiced his worries about Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan contemplating strategies to isolate India by leveraging the Siliguri Corridor, which is crucial for connecting the northeast region. He cautioned that as a countermeasure, India might act similarly towards Bangladesh, potentially blocking their maritime routes.
Bakshi stated that we established Bangladesh without exploiting any geographical advantages during its creation. Recently, both Bangladesh, along with China and Pakistan, have discussed the strategic importance of the Siliguri corridor—often referred to as 'the chicken’s neck'—and how they might use it to potentially isolate India. Currently, Bangladesh has suggested that China should assist them in accessing the seven landlocked Indian states that rely heavily on this narrow strip for connectivity.
"They don't realise that we can do a similar thing on the opposite side of Bangladesh. We can cut across the sea and strangle them," he added.
Bakshi also noted that Yunus is attempting to involve China in creating problems for the seven northeastern states, which is already happening. He assured that the Indian government is aware of the situation and has taken action, without elaborating further.
"Yunus is thinking that he will involve China into creating problems for the seven states, which they are already doing. Not just China, but many other agencies are at work in the northeast," he said.
"The Indian government will not go running to the media and create noise about it; the government has already gotten into action. Even Yunus knows what India is going to do," he added. (ANI)
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