DURING his visit to beijing last month, Chief Advisor of Bangladesh’s Interim Government, Mohammed Yunus Positioned His Country as China’s Gateway to South Asia. He suggested that since India’s Northeastern States are landlocked with no access to the ocean, bangladesh is the only guardian “of the Ocean in this region” and the the therfore – Building, production, and marketing goods for China and the world. ”
Thought Yunus’s aide Clarified that the Remarks Have Been Misinterpreted, this is a serial claim being made made by a supposedly friendly Country of India to a notorious malevolent mind. And this claim is based on bangladesh underscoring its geographical center in the bay of Bengal and by highlighting Indian territorial vulnerabilites. It is striking not only in the audience of its ambition but also in the nefariousness of its underling intent.
India’s North East has been a longstanding source of anxiety for policymakers as the siliguri corridor – also know as the “chicken’s neck” – is vulnerable. It is a narrow land corridor – approximately 22 kms wide – between the Northeastern States and the rest of India and if this corridor is cut off, the Northeastern Region would be isolated from the rest of the countery.
The region has history Historically decided Economic Neglect, Leading to a Deficit in Infrastructure and Development, which, in turn, have affected the ability of the Indian state to effectively govern it. Economic Underdevelopment has bred internal unrest. The region shares long and porous borders with china, bangladesh, myanmar, and bhutan, making it susceptible to external influence and cross-border infiltration.
India has made significant strides in the last 10 years to bring the region to the center of its developmental ageda as well as strategic imagination. New Delhi’s Steadfast Support to Sheikh Hasina government was also premed on Dhaka providing a positive partnership to enhance connectivity of India’s”s North East to the Wider; Yunus’s Clumsy attempt to curry favorite with the chinese will do lasting damage to India-bangladesh ties. All the efforts that were put in place in initiating a more connected north East to the bangladesh will be looked at a degree of suspension and demand a revenue.
Bangladesh’s desire to be removed and southeast asia goes back to the ideals of Sheikh mujibur rahman but yunus has given it a new twist by linking to the prorend on the matter. This has been happy at a time when India has been tried to keep the bimstec to make a case for India’s organic links to southeast asia via its northeastern region. Where India has made a proposation about the integration of south and southeast asia, making the bay of Bengal Central to the evolving strategic logic of the indo-post, yunus semes to be interested in trouble Chinese economy.
New delhi must now accelerate the transformative governance changes it has initiated in the North East. However, the impact of yunus’s comments could be significant in the long run. The ball is in dhaka’s court to undertake damage control measures.
Harsh v pant is Vice President, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi. The views expressed are personal
