India squandered its strategic advantage during the birth of Bangladesh, says Assam CM

The Hindu

11-05-2025

GUWAHATI
The creation of Bangladesh after the 1971 war with Pakistan was not a diplomatic triumph for India, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma indicated on Sunday (May 11, 2025).
He said India squandered its strategic advantage during Bangladesh's birth on several counts. These included not securing a corridor wider than the 'Chicken's Neck', the narrow strip in West Bengal's Siliguri region connecting the geographically disadvantaged northeast to the country's mainland, and not ensuring easy access to the Chittagong Port.
He also said India's leadership in 1971 failed to resolve the issue of illegal Bangladeshi migrants when it was in a position to do so.
'India's 1971 military victory was decisive and historic. It broke Pakistan in two and gave birth to Bangladesh. But while our soldiers delivered a stunning battlefield success, India's political leadership failed to secure lasting strategic gains,' Mr. Sarma said.
'The creation of Bangladesh is often hailed as a diplomatic triumph, but history tells a different story,' he said, calling Bangladesh's creation a strategic triumph but a diplomatic folly.
The Chief Minister said India supported a secular Bangladesh, but by 1988, Islam was declared the state religion. 'Today, political Islam thrives in Dhaka, undermining the very values India fought to protect,' he said.
'Hindus, once 20% of Bangladesh's population, have dwindled to under 8%. Systematic discrimination and violence continue — a shameful reality that India has largely ignored,' he added.
Mr. Sarma said that despite military dominance, India failed to resolve the vulnerability of the Siliguri corridor by not keeping a part of northern Bangladesh.
Demographic impact
'No agreement mandated the return of illegal Bangladeshi migrants. As a result, Assam, Bengal, and the northeast face unchecked demographic change, sparking social unrest and political instability,' the CM said.
He lamented that India did not secure access to the strategic Chittagong Port in Bangladesh. 'Five decades later, the northeast remains landlocked despite having birthed a nation through blood and sacrifice,' he said.
The Chief Minister also pointed out that for decades, Bangladesh served as a base for anti-India insurgent groups, which exploited the vacuum India failed to close in 1971.
'India's military triumph in 1971 was not matched by strategic foresight. What could have been a new regional order was reduced to a one-sided act of generosity. Had Mrs. Indira Gandhi been alive today, the nation would have questioned her for mishandling the decisive victory won by our armed forces. The creation of Bangladesh was not a bargain, it was a historic opportunity lost,' he said.
Civilian volunteers
The All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) said it would send 10,000 Bodo youths as civilian volunteers for any assistance on the India-Pakistan border.
ABSU president Dipen Boro and general secretary Khanin Basumatary said the union had pledged similar support to the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government during the Kargil conflict in 1999.
They said the youths would be sent for national duty after proper training.
The union also announced the postponement of its 57th annual conference due to the tension between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terrorist attack. 'At this crucial time, the ABSU stands with the nation and is always ready to protect the integrity and sovereignty of the nation,' they said.