A few weeks after the controversial statement of Bangladesh interim government chief Muhammad Yunus, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has given a befitting reply to Bangladesh. Yunus had recently commented on India’s “Chicken Neck” i.e. Siliguri Corridor, in which he described India’s Northeast as a “landlocked” area surrounded from all sides. On this, Chief Minister Sarma shared a detailed map on the social media platform X and informed about the two “Chicken Necks” of Bangladesh and said that both these corridors of Bangladesh are much weaker than India’s Siliguri Corridor. Sarma said in clear words that if there is any threat to India’s Chicken Neck, then Bangladesh should also feel threatened on both its weak corridors.
Identification of two weak corridors of Bangladesh
Chief Minister Sarma said in his post that the first Bangladeshi Chicken Neck is the “North Bangladesh Corridor” which is 80 km long from South Dinajpur to South West Garo Hills. If there is any disturbance here, the entire Rangpur division can be cut off from the rest of Bangladesh. The second corridor is the “Chittagong Corridor” which is only 28 km long and goes from South Tripura to the Bay of Bengal. This corridor connects the economic capital and political capital of Bangladesh. Sarma said that if any of these corridors is obstructed, then serious problems will arise within Bangladesh. He also added that just like India’s Siliguri Corridor is sensitive, these two corridors of Bangladesh are also their weakness.
To those who habitually threaten India on the “Chicken Neck Corridor”, should note these facts as well:
1️⃣ Bangladesh has two of its own “chicken necks”. Both are far more vulnerable
2️⃣ First is the 80 Km North Bangladesh Corridor- from Dakhin Dinajpur to South West Garo… pic.twitter.com/DzV3lUAOhR
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) May 25, 2025
India’s military power and warning
Himanta Biswa Sarma also reminded of India’s military power in this debate. He had earlier said in a press conference that if Bangladesh attacks India’s Chicken Neck, then India will attack both the Chicken Necks of Bangladesh. He also said that Bangladesh will have to be reborn 14 times before attacking India. Sarma referred to the Indian Army’s “Operation Sindoor” in which India entered inside Pakistan and destroyed terrorist camps and 11 military bases. Sarma’s point was clear that India’s defense capability is very strong and no enemy country can dare to attack it.
Strategic importance of Siliguri Corridor
India’s Siliguri Corridor i.e. Chicken Neck is a narrow corridor located in West Bengal which connects the mainland of the country with seven states of the Northeast – Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya. Its width is only 22 kilometers at its narrowest part and Nepal is to its north and Bangladesh to its south. The strategic importance of this corridor is so great that if there is any interruption in it – be it war, natural disaster or internal unrest – then the entire Northeast can be cut off from the mainland of India. That is why it is called Chicken Neck and it is considered one of the most sensitive areas of the country. Now a debate has started in India regarding this regional tension after Bangladesh’s Yunus commented on this issue.
