'Bangladesh Has Two Chicken Necks': Assam CM Sarma's 'Geographical' Warning To Bangladesh After Yunus's 'Chinese Extension' Remarks

In a 'geographical' warning to Bangladesh, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that India's neighbour has two "chicken necks" of its own, which are more susceptible than India's 'chicken neck' corridor, the link between Northeast and the rest of the nation.

The remarks came in the backdrop of Bangladesh's interim head Muhammad Yunus's statements two months ago. During a trip to China, the Bangladesh chief advisor declared that Bangladesh serves as the sole "only guardian of the ocean" for the seven land-locked northeastern states of India.

“So this could be an extension of the Chinese economy. Build things, produce things, market things, bring things to China, bring it out to the whole rest of the world,” Yunus had said, asserting the claimed decisive role of Bangladesh for Northeast India.

In a post on X, Sarma said, "To those who habitually threaten India on the “Chicken Neck Corridor”, should note these facts as well: Bangladesh has two of its own “chicken necks”. Both are far more vulnerable."

Explaining his claim, he stated, "First is the 80 Km 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."

Sarma continued, "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."

Concluding his post, Sarma said, "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."

Sarma has continually stressed the importance of addressing the vulnerability related to the "chicken neck" corridor since his tenure began.

The northeastern states, including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, and Sikkim, jointly share a 1,596-km international border with Bangladesh, a 1,395-km border with China, a 1,640-km border with Myanmar, a 455-km border with Bhutan, and a 97-km border with Nepal. These states are solely linked to the remainder of India through a narrow 22-km land strip known as the "chicken neck" corridor.