New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's strong rebuttal to Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus came after the latter referred to India's Northeast as "landlocked" and further defined Bangladesh as the key gateway for the area’s maritime access. Yunus was speaking during a recent China visit of four days and sought Chinese influence in Bangladesh.
Jaishankar pointed out the importance of India having a coastline of almost 6500 km along the Bay of Bengal and the importance of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). He claimed that India, not Bangladesh, has geographical and strategic ties with the five BIMSTEC countries, and the Northeast of India will soon become a major connectivity hub catering to vast infrastructure across roads, railways, waterways, and pipelines.
Managing the comments as cherry-picking, Jaishankar stressed that global cooperation should be geared towards a comprehensive and integrated approach. This criticism was targeted at Yunus' suggestion to consider Bangladesh as the main maritime access for India's Northeast.
The statement made by Yunus evoked widespread political backlash especially from Northeast India, with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma calling the remarks "offensive" and that such statements amount to deeper strategic maneuvers. Former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh also accused Yunus of treating India’s Northeast as a "strategic pawn."
The wrangling comes just as Bangladesh has emboldened ties with China, laying down agreements worth billions and widening its economic nexus with Beijing. On the other hand, India continues to neck deep in using the ports of Bangladesh for trade and logistics, especially Chittagong.
[Source Credit: NDTV]
