'Chicken's Neck' is India's land, no one can lay hands on it: Amit Shah

Siliguri: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday asserted that the strategically crucial Siliguri Corridor, often referred to as the 'Chicken's Neck', belongs to India and no one would be allowed to threaten or tamper with it.

Addressing a BJP workers' meeting, Shah said some people had raised slogans in Delhi claiming they would "cut off the Chicken's Neck", the narrow strip of land connecting mainland India with the northeastern states.

"Some people raised slogans in Delhi saying they would cut off the 'Chicken's Neck'. Why, brother, how will you cut it? Is this your father's land? This is India's land; no one can lay a hand on it," Shah said.

He said Delhi Police had arrested those who raised such slogans, but alleged that leaders of the opposition 'I.N.D.I.A.' alliance had attempted to secure their release.

"Delhi Police put them behind bars. Leaders of the INDI alliance tried hard to get them released. Their MPs even went to the Supreme Court to argue on their behalf. But in the end, truth prevails. The Supreme Court, too, rejected their bail plea," the home minister claimed.

The 'Chicken's Neck', officially known as the Siliguri Corridor, is a narrow stretch of land- about 20-22 km wide and nearly 60 km long- in north Bengal that connects the rest of India with its northeastern states. It is considered a critical and sensitive lifeline from both security and strategic perspectives.