Guwahati (Assam), May 25 (IANS) In a pointed statement aimed at critics who frequently raise concerns over India’s strategic ‘Siliguri Corridor’, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday drew attention to Bangladesh’s own geographical vulnerabilities, asserting that the neighbouring country has two fragile corridors that are even more susceptible to disruption.
“To those who habitually threaten India on the ‘Chicken Neck Corridor’, they should note these facts as well,” Sarma said, referencing the Siliguri Corridor—India’s narrow 22-km-wide land link connecting its northeastern states to the mainland, often viewed as a strategic ‘chokepoint’.
Sarma highlighted that Bangladesh’s own version of “chicken necks” includes the 80-km-long North Bangladesh Corridor, stretching from Dakhin Dinajpur to South West Garo Hills.
According to him, any disturbance in this area could effectively cut off the entire Rangpur division from the rest of Bangladesh, creating a major national security and connectivity crisis for Dhaka.
Equally significant, he pointed out, is the Chittagong Corridor, a narrow strip running from South Tripura to the Bay of Bengal.
“This corridor, smaller than India’s chicken neck, is the only link between Bangladesh’s economic capital and political capital,” Sarma stated, referring to the vital route connecting Dhaka with Chittagong, the country’s primary port city.
“I am only presenting geographical facts that some may tend to forget,” Sarma added, suggesting that the often singular focus on India’s vulnerabilities overlooks the broader regional geography.
His remarks are likely to stir conversation in strategic and diplomatic circles, especially as regional tensions remain a subject of continuous monitoring.
Sarma earlier cautioned Bangladesh about its own chicken’s neck — not one, but two — at a time when Dhaka has raked up politics over India’s chicken’s neck corridor that connects the country to the north east.
He put Bangladesh on notice amid Dhaka’s apparently growing interest in India’s strategically crucial chicken’s neck, also known as the Siliguri corridor.
“We have one chicken’s neck. But Bangladesh has two chicken necks. If Bangladesh attacks our chicken’s neck, we will attack both the chicken necks of Bangladesh… the one in Meghalaya connecting Chittagong port in Bangladesh is even thinner than India’s chicken’s neck and is located just a stone’s throw away,” Samra told reporters.
The BJP leader also reminded Bangladesh of India’s military strength, especially after operation Sindoor, where India destroyed terror camps deep inside Pakistan and also pounded its military bases. Sarma said “Bangladesh has to be reborn 14 times” before attacking India.
–IANS
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