'Shameful', 'provocative': Yunus' comments draw sharp reactions from political leaders

Yunus claimed that Bangladesh was the sole 'guardian of the ocean (Bay of Bengal)', as India's northeastern states were 'landlocked'.

New Delhi: 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 on X of 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.

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 PTI Videos outside the Parliament building.

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," Sarma posted on X.

"Such provocative statements by Md Younus must not be taken lightly, as they reflect deeper strategic considerations and longstanding agendas," he added.

Khera, who is 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 X.

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 ambassador of India described the comments as "most unfortunate," though he said 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…(India is) fully capable of protecting its security concerns," Venu Rajamony, who served as India's ambassador to the Netherlands from 2017 to 2020, told PTI.

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."