Muhammad Yunus’s comments evokes sharp reactions from political leaders.

The recent comments made by Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on India’s northeastern states drew sharp reactions from political leaders across party lines on Tuesday, dubbing his remarks as “shameful and provocative”.

Congress leader Pawan Khera on Monday shared a video clip published on the X – Handle of Muhammad Yunus, in which he claimed that Bangladesh was the sole “guardian of the ocean (Bay of Bengal),” as India’s northeastern states were “landlocked”. He said this opens up a “huge possibility” and urged China to extend its economic influence to his country.

Mr. Pawan Khera, who is Congress party’s head of media and publicity department, alleged that “Bangladesh is inviting China to encircle India. This attitude of the Bangladesh government is very dangerous for the security of our North East region. The government is not taking care of Manipur and China has already settled villages in Arunachal“, Khera wrote in Hindi on his X – Handle. These comments were purportedly made during his four-day visit to China.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Tuesday said this was a “very serious issue” and it concerns the “safety and security” of the nation. “It’s a very shameful comment…he is mentioning regions of our country to move the China agenda. I feel India should take a tough stand on it. It endangers the safety and security of the nation“, she told the press.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma described Yunus’s remarks as “offensive and strongly condemnable” and called for prioritisation of exploring alternative routes connecting the Northeast to the rest of India, bypassing the ‘Chicken’s Neck’. “The statement made by Md Younus of Bangladesh, the so-called interim Government referring to the seven sister states of Northeast India as landlocked and positioning Bangladesh as their guardian of ocean access, is offensive and strongly condemnable.  Such provocative statements by Md Younus must not be taken lightly, as they reflect deeper strategic considerations and longstanding agendas“, he added.

Last week, Bangladesh’s chief adviser met Chinese President Xi Jinping and sought stepped-up investments from China to revive Bangladesh’s flagging economy, hit by a political and economic crisis.

“It’s very important that we see China as our good friend“, Yunus said, projecting Beijing as a

balancing factor against New Delhi. He expects bilateral relations to enter a new stage, Yunus told the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency in an interview during the visit.

A former Indian Ambassador Venu Rajamony of India described the comments as most unfortunate, although adviced that New Delhi should not panic over Yunus’ statements. “It doesn’t change the reality of what India is today and what it is capable of protecting its security concerns“, Venu Rajamony, who served as India’s ambassador to the Netherlands from 2017 to 2020, informed the Press. When asked about its impact on India-Bangladesh ties, Rajamony said, “On bilateral ties trajectory, there is no indication of any major shift in Bangladesh’s policy towards India“.

Senior Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday said it was unfortunate that the country’s foreign policy has “weakened” to such an extent that even Bangladesh, whose independence India had supported, has turned against it. Gogoi, the deputy leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, was reacting to Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’s statement calling his country the “only guardian of the ocean” in the region. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently wrote to Bangladesh on the occasion of its National Day, highlighting the ‘strong ties’ between the two nations. After that Muhammad Yunus’s recent remarks about Northeast India and China are deeply concerning and unacceptable, as they undermine India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity“, he added.

Stating that the interim government in Bangladesh was attempting to frame the Northeast as a “strategic pawn”, former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday asked its Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus to not make reckless comments about India as it’s not only unwise but also lead to consequences.

Team Maverick.