Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated on Sunday that individuals who habitually threaten India concerning the ‘chicken neck corridor‘ should recognize that Bangladesh possesses two comparable narrow land strips that are “far more vulnerable.”
The “chicken neck” typically refers to the Siliguri Corridor, a narrow strip of land separating Bangladesh and Nepal, which serves as the sole land bridge connecting India’s eight northeastern states to the mainland.
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The Chief Minister on his official social media handle X stated that those habitually threatening India on the Siliguri corridor should note that Bangladesh has two of its own chicken necks that are far more vulnerable.
“First is the 80 km North Bangladesh Corridor from Dakhin Dinajpur (West Bengal) to South West Garo Hills (Meghalaya). Any disruption here can completely isolate the entire Rangpur division from the rest of Bangladesh,” he said.
“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,” CM Sarma said.
“I am only presenting geographical facts that some may tend to forget,” Sarma stated, drawing a parallel between India’s Siliguri Corridor and Bangladesh’s own narrow geographical vulnerabilities.
Notably, recent developments, including a call by Muhammad Yunus, an adviser to the Bangladesh Government, for the economic integration of India’s northeast with Bangladesh and Nepal, have widely prompted Sarma’s strong remarks.
The Chief Minister’s comments also clearly message a retired Bangladesh Army officer who previously suggested Dhaka should occupy India’s northeast if India were to attack Pakistan.