Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has strongly condemned Yunus' recent remarks on the Northeast, calling them "offensive" and warning that such provocations should not be ignored. Sarma emphasised the need for vigilance against statements that could fuel unrest, suggesting that Yunus' comments might have deeper implications.
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00:00Outrage over Muhammad Yunus anti-India rant.
00:10Yunus provokes, call northeast India landlocked.
00:17Seven states of India, eastern part of India, called seven sisters.
00:23They are landlocked country, landlocked region of India.
00:26They have no way to reach out to the ocean.
00:29India speaks in one voice, back off Yunus.
00:33Many people threaten that we'll cut the Sikand necks and we'll disrupt northeast.
00:39Our railway minister has announced that over the Sikand neck,
00:44there will be four railway tracks to increase railway connectivity to Assam.
00:50Northeast leaders bash Yunus pitch to China.
00:55Bangladesh's big provocation.
01:03That is our top focus on India First.
01:06There is anger in India's northeastern states after Bangladesh's chief advisor to the government,
01:16Nobel laureate professor Muhammad Yunus made a reference to India's seven sisters,
01:22the seven landlocked states saying that Bangladesh is the guardian of the ocean
01:29and that's the access that they have.
01:32Political leaders of the northeastern states have hit back and hit hard at professor Muhammad Yunus.
01:38This after Bangladesh's interim government advisor raked up the seven sisters,
01:42referring to them as landlocked in a bid to woo China and to seek more Chinese investment in Bangladesh.
01:49So professor Muhammad Yunus's rather desperate appeal to Beijing to invest in Bangladesh
01:56has drawn an angry and a strong response from chief ministers of several Indian states.
02:02For example, the Assam chief minister Heman Biswas Sarma,
02:05he called professor Muhammad Yunus's comments provocative and unacceptable.
02:10He warned that such statements actually reflect a deeper strategic consideration
02:15and long-standing agendas that must not be ignored.
02:19To counter such risks, Heman Biswas Sarma called for scaling up infrastructure.
02:24That's a very pertinent point he's making and hear this carefully.
02:27Heman Biswas Sarma, chief minister of Assam is calling up for scaling up infrastructure across the region,
02:33particularly by focusing on that very narrow Siliguri corridor or the chicken's neck corridor.
02:39I'll tell you more about it during the course of the broadcast.
02:43Now, Tipra Mota party chief Pradyot Manikya has also issued a very strong response
02:49suggesting that India should take a more aggressive approach towards securing India's access to the seas for the northeast.
02:57He suggested in some ways a route through Bangladesh.
03:02Congress's Gaurav Gogoi, TMC's Abhishek Banerjee, they too slammed professor Muhammad Yunus.
03:08So this isn't just government or ruling party, but this is India speaking in one voice.
03:13From Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress party to Trimble Congress's Abhishek Banerjee,
03:19this is India speaking in one voice. This shows the collective power of our country.
03:26So professor Muhammad Yunus told Chinese investors, he was trying to woo them,
03:30that India's northeastern states are landlocked and that Bangladesh is the only guardian of the Indian Ocean.
03:37What are the implications, the ramifications? Why did he see this?
03:42How should India read this and see through his designs?
03:48Seven states of India, eastern part of India, called Seven Sisters, they are landlocked country, landlocked region of India.
03:57They have no way to reach out to the ocean. We are the only guardian of the ocean for all this region.
04:04So this opens up a huge possibility. So this could be an extension of the Chinese economy,
04:10build things, produce things, market things, bring things to China, bring it out to the whole rest of the world.
04:20That's a production house for you. So that's the opportunity we should seize and we should implement, we should get it done.
04:28Nepal has unlimited hydropower, which is a blessing. Bhutan has unlimited hydropower. That's a blessing.
04:35We can bring it to our purpose. We are setting up our factories and so on.
04:39And from Bangladesh, you can go anywhere you want because the ocean is in our backyard.
04:46So this is the opportunity that we want to take. And not necessarily it will be something you produce and sell it to the world.
04:53You can produce in Bangladesh, sell it to China too.
04:57Assam is connected to the rest of India through the chicken neck.
05:02Chicken neck is an important discussion, even in political lexicon also.
05:09Many people threaten that we'll cut the chicken necks and we'll disrupt northeast.
05:15But today, our railway minister has announced that over the chicken neck,
05:21there will be four railway tracks to increase railway connectivity to Assam.
05:27And I am sure at appropriate time, he'll also announce minimum two railway lines under the chicken necks.
05:37That is also, I am sure that is also in his mind.
05:42And obviously that is going to come and we are a new India under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi
05:50and we are capable of delivering that.
05:53I think this is a very shocking statement by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yudhis.
05:57He has absolutely no right to make a statement like that.
06:00He knows that the northeast is an integral part of India.
06:03And we have had very close discussions with the government of Bangladesh on access by northeast India to the Bay of Bengal.
06:12I must say that we must condemn the statement because the manner in which it was made,
06:16as though the northeast belongs to Bangladesh, you know.
06:19And actually this I must tell you that this is an old habit of the BNP government.
06:25Well, as you know very well, we created Bangladesh. And you also know that we did not take any cartographic advantage.
06:35And now Bangladesh is saying that China must help and China must get into the seven states.
06:43If Mr. Yunus thinks that he can get away with, he is sadly mistaken.
06:47Because India is not what India, what they are used to, that we never thought in terms of these strategic advantages.
06:57Now India is fully aware of it. And Mr. Yunus idea is only going to remain as an idea.
07:06So Hemant Biswa Sarma very specifically spoke of the Chicken's Neck or the Siliguri Corridor.
07:12Let's tell you a little more about it before I bring in our special guests on this broadcast.
07:17The Chicken's Neck or that Siliguri Corridor is a very narrow strip of land in Bengal.
07:22It's about 60 kilometers long and just about 22 kilometers wide.
07:28It borders Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh as you can see.
07:33It connects the northeastern states to West Bengal and the rest of the country.
07:38But how should one view this statement of Professor Muhammad Yunus?
07:43Joining me on this special broadcast is Ambassador Veena Sikri, India's former High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
07:48Also with me is Lieutenant General Syed Atta Hasnain. He is former Kashmir Corps Commander.
07:53But someone who has also served extensively in this area.
07:56Ambassador Sikri, you said India should condemn this statement.
08:00Now why is this statement not above board in your appreciation?
08:06Well, two things I think we have to say very clearly.
08:10First of all, you know you're talking about as if Bangladesh controls every access for the northeast.
08:16I must tell your viewers that as in the northeastern states, they do have access to Calcutta port.
08:25They have been doing it for 70 years. But it is true we have agreed with the government of Bangladesh.
08:29We have agreement with them of long standing over the last 15 years it has been evolved
08:33for giving the northeast state access to the Bay of Bengal through Chittagong port and Mongla port.
08:39This is the Chittagong port which comes through Tripura and then you have a bridge on the river Feni
08:44and then you come to 75 kilometers on Mongla port side which is just one day sailing from Kolkata.
08:50You have the riverine transport going all the way across to Zakirganj northeast.
08:55So these are agreements. Now if Bangladesh does not want to abide by these agreements,
09:01it's a very serious matter because you expect that international agreements between two countries,
09:05they should be abided by. But instead, UNICEF is pretending that these agreements don't exist
09:10and that you know Bangladesh has full control and they are the guardians of the ocean which is completely incorrect.
09:16The guardian of the Bay of Bengal are three countries, India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
09:20There is no such thing as Bangladesh being guardian of that. Now if and the second thing that is very disturbing on what he said
09:26is that he is talking about you know bringing electricity from Bhutan, bringing electricity from Nepal.
09:31Now here they all have to go through India. So as far as India is concerned UNICEF is absolutely sure
09:37that India will give access to electricity from Bhutan to Bangladesh, electricity from Nepal to Bangladesh.
09:43But Bangladesh will not give access to northeastern states to go through Chittagong and Mongla port.
09:49This is completely one-sided. He should not expect anything like that.
09:53In fact, if Bangladesh thinks that they are going to deny access to northeastern states to the agreed access to Chittagong and Mongla ports,
10:02then why should India respect the rights of a lower riparian state and give them any share in the river waters?
10:08Everything is based on give and take. Everything is based on a mutual understanding, on friendship, on trusting each other.
10:16And this clearly is an indication General Hassanain that India or Bangladesh is giving India no reason
10:24under Muhammad Yunus to trust Bangladesh. Every action appears to be more hostile than his previous one.
10:33See Gaurav, there is no doubt about it that this message which Muhammad Yunus was conveying
10:41was not a message from Bangladesh proper. It was actually a message right out of the ISI's book itself.
10:49Because the ISI has been very very active here, you know. All this while it has been very very active.
10:57And because of that, putting words in his mouth, making the statement from time to time,
11:06we know that in this kind of a diplomatic standoff, these kind of statements make a difference, make a huge difference.
11:16This is generally to put India off, create some kind of a rift with the Chinese
11:24and hope like hell that Bangladesh will be the beneficiary of it.
11:29It's quite clear that Bangladesh will probably try or attempt to do something within their own infrastructure
11:39to create obstacles for the movement of Indian traffic.
11:44But it's not necessarily that it will happen. This is just a question of a lot of rhetoric which is going on.
11:51And this is also the radicals behind him who are making these statements.
11:57Attempt is to provoke, that's the whole idea. The attempt is to provoke and we need not get provoked.
12:03I think the Assam Chief Minister, the Honourable Chief Minister's statements were absolutely correct bang on today
12:11that we will continue to create our infrastructure, that infrastructure will be guarded,
12:19will be secured and will be utilised as per our requirements all the time.
12:24Ambassador Sikri, India had permitted Pakistan to punch far above its weight for decades
12:32only to realise that Pakistan, as the External Affairs Minister very recently put it,
12:39that DNA is bigoted, Pakistan cannot change, you cannot expect better from Pakistan.
12:45Are we to understand, under the likes of Muhammad Yunus and the radicals who are on centre stage in Bangladesh,
12:52Bangladesh is no different from Pakistan, it's the same DNA?
12:57Well, actually one must understand, your question is absolutely correct, but one must understand that these are the people,
13:04the people who are in power today, the Jamaat-e-Islami backed by Pakistan with the Radhakas,
13:08they are the ones who lost in 1971. And surely they have the same DNA.
13:13They do have the same DNA because they were on the same side in 1971, they didn't want the creation of Bangladesh.
13:19So today, when Yunus is there as a puppet with the Jamaat-e-Islami and Hizb ut-Tahrir and all the Islamist parties behind him,
13:27the Hifazat-e-Islam and the Islami Handholan Bangladesh, they all want to follow the Pakistan playbook.
13:34But I must tell you that one thing is there that Yunus is losing popularity very fast in Bangladesh.
13:40Nobody expected this kind of a rise of radical extremism and them trying to take over.
13:45In fact, Yunus is copying the Islamist playbook because his special assistant Mahfuz Alam who is a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir
13:54already put a tweet showing West Bengal and the North-Eastern states and all of them as part of what is called Banglastan.
14:01They are going to take over all of this and it's going to become one of them.
14:04Of course, he deleted the tweet later but you know the damage had been done.
14:07So I think that one has to understand this playbook that is there and they are trying to provoke India
14:13as General Zaid Atta Hussain very correctly said into responding but I think that we have to be very clear on this
14:20and we cannot be quiet on it because this will only encourage Yunus to go and do some more such like threats
14:26and to, you know, posture himself a thousand times bigger than he actually is.
14:30And we have to see that Yunus is a constitutionally illegal government.
14:36Absolutely. Unelected leader, unelected leader playing in the hands of radical Islamists.
14:42An economy that was doing well in Bangladesh is suddenly General Hasnain.
14:48It's in tatters, it's in tatters in Bangladesh but it's exactly in an opportunity like this to divert attention
14:55from their failing economy, from their collapsing society.
14:59Bangladesh would want to focus on one, trying to bring their religion to unite their country
15:05and trying to paint India as the villain and perhaps using our Northeast as part of, you know, in their playbook.
15:15Is that an apprehension? What are countermeasures that India must take?
15:19See, Gaurav, we have followed a very, very sensible, stable policy so far since the 5th of August 2024.
15:32There have been attempts to intimidate us at all, at every juncture.
15:37I think the kind of statements which the Honorable Chief Minister of Assam has just made
15:44is the kind of thing which sort of is a good response without any rhetoric.
15:50Typical and a good Indian response, I would say.
15:54We have not been intimidating ourselves.
15:57We haven't used any strong language at all.
16:00Tomorrow, the day after, the Prime Minister will very well meet Muhammad Yunus at the BIMSTEC meeting too.
16:06We don't know whether there's going to be a meeting on the sidelines yet.
16:09But I think the way our diplomacy has gone has been a very, very mature display.
16:15That's the way it should continue for the moment.
16:18Although we must continue to keep our necessary diplomatic tools also sharpened
16:25so that if it comes, if push comes to shove, then we must go all out and ensure that.
16:32So, Ambassador Sikri, we are told military-to-military relations between India and Bangladesh
16:37were, are, and perhaps shall remain extremely strong.
16:41But can the military drill some sense into these radical Islamists in Bangladesh?
16:48I'm told there was a meeting between Professor Muhammad Yunus and General Vakharuzaman, the Army Chief.
16:54Or do you think the situation has gone really out of hand
16:58and even the Army may not be in a situation or a position to control it?
17:02No, the Army, I must say, is the one factor of authority and stability in Bangladesh.
17:09And they are the one factor that the people of Bangladesh recognize
17:13that they are a factor of authority and stability and what they say will prevail.
17:17On 24th of February this year, just about four weeks ago or five weeks ago,
17:22actually the General Vakharuzaman, the Army Chief of Bangladesh, made a very strong statement
17:27pointing directly at Yunus and saying enough is enough.
17:30And the stability and the Army had been called out in protecting, you know,
17:34given police powers and given magistracy powers, but they have been lying low,
17:38they have been acting very normally because they don't want to, you know, make it very obvious that the Army is there.
17:43But he said that he will take action if the situation continues the way it is.
17:49And he decried the complete anarchy, you know, the complete law and order breakdown,
17:54the breakdown of the economy and he was reflecting the grave sense of dissatisfaction that exists among the people of Bangladesh.
18:00After that, of course, there had been a meeting and there had been, you know, some kind of a make-up,
18:06but I think General Vakharuzaman's statement stands there very strongly.
18:11And should the situation continue as it is, anything can happen in Bangladesh.
18:15And I think we have to be very clear that the popularity of this regime of Yunus
18:21and backed by the Jamaat-e-Islami and, you know, the party that is being made by the so-called students,
18:25they aren't really students at all, they belong to the Islami Chhatra Shabbir, you know, the National Citizen Party,
18:30even that has got no traction at all with the people.
18:33The people are not going for their rallies, you know, they are spending a lot of money having Iftar parties
18:38and taking 100 car convoys, where's all the money coming from?
18:41So the situation is a lot of dissatisfaction.
18:44We have to, of course, keep a very close watch on the situation.
18:47And we would like there to be early, very early elections that are free, fair and inclusive.
18:53We have said that we will be with the elected government and we will do that.
18:57You know, before I bring in General Hasnain, I also want your response on how India has reacted as a nation.
19:04So, yes, we saw a statement from a ruling party chief minister or Assam chief minister, Hemant Mr. Sarma,
19:10but we also saw a statement from Congress Party's leader Gaurav Gogoi.
19:14We also saw a statement from Trimul Congress's Abhishek Banerjee,
19:18who said it's a disgusting remark by Mohammed Yunus.
19:22You know, deeply concerning and unacceptable, says Gaurav Gogoi, Congress Party leader.
19:28Isn't that the best response?
19:30India speaks in one voice, Ambassador Sikri, that that message goes across loud and clear.
19:35Absolutely. I think it's very good.
19:37And I think it's good that the government of India kept quiet and following the situation.
19:41And all the people belonging to the neighboring states of Bangladesh,
19:45whether it is West Bengal, whether it is Assam, you know, and they have spoken up.
19:51And this is very, very good because them speaking up shows that the states adjacent to West Bengal,
19:57what he is describing as the seven sisters, they are speaking in one voice
20:00and they will not let Bangladesh do anything to affect the sovereignty, territorial integrity of India.
20:06And they will be as one with the government of India, with the central government of India,
20:10with everybody. The Congress Party has also spoken, you know, and this is very good.
20:14So I think that the message has gone out loud and clear.
20:17And I think that this has only hastened the demise of the Yunus regime in Bangladesh
20:21because the people of Bangladesh are fed up, you know, their factories are closing.
20:25There was a report, for example, the other day, how Bangladesh is wanting to get cotton, for example,
20:31that they get from India. They're trying to get it from Pakistan, from the West,
20:35and it's taking them 45 days and with delay and higher prices compared to India,
20:41which comes in two or three days, but still.
20:43Absolutely. And much cheaper. Electricity, that's so much cheaper than they would get from anywhere else.
20:48But then, unfortunately, they seem to be cutting their nose to spite their face, General Hasnain.
20:53And this is where, does lack of border fencing along the India-Bangladesh border
21:01and Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently raised it in Parliament,
21:04does that remain a major cause for concern that a major part of it still hasn't been fenced?
21:09Well, Gaurav, yes, that definitely is a matter of concern.
21:15But I don't foresee an immediate kind of a solution to that
21:20because this will have to go through a fair amount of negotiation.
21:23But to come back to your question regarding the Indian response,
21:26I did hear your remarks earlier too, which I thought you were completely bang on,
21:32that this is a dream kind of a response from India where you find complete consensus.
21:39My mind only goes back to 1994, where we had all-party resolution,
21:45all the parties coming together 22nd of February to say that the whole of Jammu and Kashmir belonged to India.
21:51This is exactly the kind of thing which is happening in the Northeast at the moment.
21:55And I hope this will continue.
21:57As far as the issue of the Bangladesh Army is concerned, I do have one opinion.
22:03I think this is probably the most important entity in Bangladesh today.
22:07And Vakaral Zama is a very important individual personality in this whole game.
22:13And I hope that he remains stable and remains in power because he will make the difference at the end.
22:21That's a very pertinent point you're making there, sir.
22:24Ambassador Veena Sikri and General Hasnain, as always, many thanks for joining me here on India Today.
22:30And we'll be tracking developments in Bangladesh and the region very, very closely
22:36because Bangladesh under Muhammad Yunus may want to cut its nose to spite its face,
22:40but that can't be at the cost of India's security. That's very clear.
22:45Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi grant him audience and meet him on the sidelines of BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok?
22:51That's another story we'll be tracking very closely.
22:54The Vakf Amendment Bill, which was part of the Joint Parliamentary Committee report panel
23:00and was amended, will be taken up for consideration and passage after eight hours of proposed discussion.
23:05Minority Affairs Minister Kiran Rijiju will respond to the debate
23:08and seek the approval of the House for its passage in Lok Sabha tomorrow
23:13and, of course, in Rajya Sabha on the 3rd of April.
23:22The stage is set for a fiery showdown over the Vakf Amendment Bill.
23:28The bill will be tabled at around noon on Wednesday
23:31as per the decision taken in Lok Sabha Business Advisory Committee.
23:36The total time to be allocated for discussion on Vakf Amendment Bill
23:42would be eight hours, extendable after taking the sense of the House.
23:48Rijiju warned opposition against fear-mongering on Vakf.
24:05Don't use the committee as an excuse to walk out.
24:10Speak openly about the time allotted.
24:13We want to hear and we are ready to respond to every point, every section.
24:21Though TDP and JDU have cautioned the Centre against implementing the new law retrospectively,
24:27saying they will reveal their cards after going through Vakf law draft.
24:33Our party and Mr. Nitish Kumar met a lot of people in the draft.
24:39It is from our side that it should not be retrospective.
24:43If there is something in the past, it should not be affected.
24:48This is what our party had said.
24:51I think the committee and the government should keep this in mind.
24:56UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath slammed loot of public land in garb of Vakf.
25:03This is a place of personal selfishness.
25:09It is a place of loot for a few people.
25:13It is a means of forcibly occupying any government property.
25:19And reform is a matter of time.
25:22Every reform is opposed.
25:25But we should be ready for such a reform according to the country, time and situation.
25:32The opposition has slammed the Vakf bill, calling it a calculated ploy to deprive Muslims of land
25:38and a direct attack on constitution.
25:42Since BJP has come to power, BJP's aim has been to destroy goodwill in this country.
25:50The bill is coming, but before that property is not being looted.
25:55People are being killed, people are being killed.
26:00People are being killed in police custody.
26:02If they have doubts and fear, then it is right.
26:05This Vakf bill is unconstitutional.
26:07This Vakf bill is a grave violation of article 14, article 25, article 26, article 29.
26:16This is not a Vakf bill, this is a Vakf Barbad bill.
26:21Will the Vakf bill pass Lok Sabha test or there is a surprise in store?
26:26With Aishwarya Pallival, Bureau Report, India Today.