HT Digital
GUWAHATI, MAY 22: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has dismissed as insignificant a purported map allegedly circulated by certain individuals in Bangladesh, which claims parts of Assam as part of that country’s territory.
Speaking at a press conference in Dergaon, Golaghat district, Sarma said, “People can draw and publish such a map. We can also draw a map showing Bangladesh as part of Assam. Even India and the US can be put together on a map—just drawing it doesn’t make it real.”
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In response to the alleged actions by some fundamentalist groups or ‘maulanas’ in Bangladesh, Sarma quipped that Indian priests and pandits could just as easily draw maps including Bangladesh’s Chittagong Port within Indian territory. “A government cannot do this, but people can. That doesn’t make it official or meaningful,” he added.
He went on to assert that Bangladesh is a “small” country that “does not deserve so much attention” and “cannot match India’s strength.”
Sarma also made provocative remarks about regional defense, stating that if Bangladesh were to attack India’s ‘Chicken’s Neck’—the strategic Siliguri Corridor in West Bengal—India would respond by targeting two narrow stretches of Bangladeshi territory. “Their ‘Chicken Neck’ near Meghalaya to Chittagong Port is so narrow it could be choked by throwing a ring,” he said, though he did not clarify the second location he referred to.
The Siliguri Corridor, often referred to as India’s ‘Chicken’s Neck’, is a narrow stretch of land that connects the Northeast with the rest of the country. Sarma noted that this vulnerability has prompted calls for alternative infrastructure projects, such as tunnels, to secure access to the region.
Highlighting India’s military prowess, Sarma referenced ‘Operation Sindoor’, in which India allegedly struck terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, as an example of the country’s ability to respond decisively to threats.
“Bangladesh can’t be compared with India. It’s time we stopped giving them undue attention,” Sarma concluded.
