A neck for a neck? Bangladesh's two Chicken Necks that Himanta Sarma has raked up
A neck for a neck? That's what Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma seemed to indicate after he cautioned Bangladesh about its own Chicken's Neck - not one, but two - at a time when Dhaka has raked up politics over India's Chicken's Neck corridor that connects the country to the North East.Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Himanta put Bangladesh on notice amid Dhaka's growing interest in India's strategically crucial Chicken's Neck, also known as the Siliguri Corridor.advertisement
"We have one Chicken's Neck. But Bangladesh has two Chicken Necks. If Bangladesh attacks our Chicken's Neck, we will attack both the Chicken Necks of Bangladesh... the one in Meghalaya connecting Chittagong port in Bangladesh is even thinner than India's Chicken's Neck and is located just a stone's throw away," Sarma told reporters.The fiery BJP leader also reminded Bangladesh of India's military strength, especially after Operation Sindoor, where India destroyed terror camps deep inside Pakistan and pounded 11 of its military bases. Sarma said "Bangladesh has to be reborn 14 times" before attacking India.While Himanta's remarks are bound to ruffle Bangladesh's feathers, the timing of it is significant. The warning comes against the backdrop of reports that China is allegedly helping Bangladesh in reviving a World War II-era airbase at Lalmonirhat, just 100 km from the crucial Chicken's Neck corridor.advertisementThe Chicken's Neck or Siliguri Corridor refers to the slender, vulnerable strip of land - around 22 km wide - that connects the mainland to India's seven northeastern states.Thus, given the strategic importance of the Siliguri Corridor, the presence of the Chinese in the area is bound to put India's security agencies on alert.The fresh development comes weeks after Bangladesh's interim chief, Muhammad Yunus, brought up India's "landlocked" northeast during his visit to China and positioned the country as the "only guardian of the ocean" for this region.BANGLADESH'S CHICKEN NECKSHowever, as Himanta correctly pointed out, Bangladesh also has two 'Chicken's Necks' similar to India's Siliguri Corridor. One corridor separates the main Bangladesh landmass from Chittagong, its largest port city - as pointed out by the Assam Chief Minister.The second Chicken's Neck is believed to be the corridor south of Rangpur division that neighbours Meghalaya.The land distance from south Tripura's Sabroom, which lies on the banks of River Feni, to Mirsharai Upazila in Bangladesh, connecting Chittagong to the rest of the country, is about 30 km.
The distance from Tripura and the sea, cutting across Bangladesh (Source: @YusufDFI)
Blocking this narrow corridor, will separate 20% of Bangladesh's land from the main landmass. This will fully isolate Chittagong, which is crucial to Bangladesh's economy, handling over 90% of the country's export-import trade.advertisement"The shortest distance between the 'landlocked' Tripura and the sea is 30 km, cutting across Bangladesh. It's also the narrowest distance from the larger mass of Bangladesh and its eastern division of Chittagong," a scholar pointed out on X.On the other hand, if we come to the second Chicken's Neck, the distance from Meghalaya's South West Garo Hills to South Dinajpur in West Bengal, with Bangladesh's Rangpur division in between, is about 90 km.Must Watch
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