Assam CM Sends Stern Message Over Hasnat’s Threats, Vows Not to Stay Silent
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has expressed extreme anger over a controversial comment made by a leader of a political party in Bangladesh. On Tuesday (December 16), he said that repeated statements by some people in Bangladesh about merging India’s northeastern region with their country are “irresponsible and dangerous.” The Chief Minister clearly stated that India will not remain silent in the face of such remarks.
The controversial comment was made by Hasnat Abdullah, a senior leader of the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP) of Bangladesh. On Monday, he claimed that if the Indian government attempts to destabilize the situation in Bangladesh, then Dhaka could retaliate.
As retaliation, he said that India’s northeastern states should be “separated” and that separatist forces in the region should be supported. He further stated that India’s northeastern region is geographically vulnerable, as it is connected to the Indian mainland only through a narrow corridor (the Siliguri Corridor or the ‘Chicken’s Neck’).
Speaking to journalists at an event in Lumding, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma said that for the past year, statements have been coming from Bangladesh suggesting that India’s northeastern region should be separated and made part of Bangladesh.
Reacting strongly, the Chief Minister said, “India is a very large country. India is a nuclear-armed state and the world’s fourth-largest economy. How can Bangladesh even think like this?”
He said that such thinking itself is wrong and that the mindset of some people in Bangladesh is not right. Such attitudes should not be encouraged. Himanta Biswa Sarma clearly warned, “They should be taught that if such behavior continues, India will not remain silent.”
From the Assam Chief Minister’s strong remarks, it is evident that the Indian government is taking such provocative claims very seriously.
