Agartala, Dec 19 — The youth wing of the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), an ally of the BJP-led government in Tripura, on Friday staged a strong protest in front of the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission (AHC) in Agartala, condemning recent remarks by Bangladeshi leaders that allegedly laid claim to India’s Northeast region and the strategically vital Siliguri Corridor.
Hundreds of youths, including a large number of women, gathered near the Bangladesh AHC under the banner of the Youth TIPRA Federation (YTF). Led by YTF president Suraj Debbarma, the demonstrators continued their protest for several hours from Friday morning, raising slogans against National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah and Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government. The protesters accused them of making “anti-India” statements and encouraging activities hostile to India.
Addressing the media at the protest site, Debbarma said that in recent days, demonstrations had been held outside the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and at other locations in Bangladesh, where participants allegedly raised anti-India slogans. He said such developments had caused deep resentment among the people of Tripura and the wider Northeast.
Debbarma alleged that NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah had earlier claimed that Bangladesh could “capture” India’s Northeast — popularly known as the ‘Seven Sisters’ — along with the Siliguri Corridor, also called the ‘Chicken’s Neck’, which connects the region to the rest of the country through West Bengal. He termed the remarks “provocative and dangerous,” warning that they could seriously undermine regional stability.
The seven Northeastern states — Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura — together form a sensitive geopolitical region, Debbarma noted, adding that any threat to their territorial integrity would be strongly resisted.
Recalling history, the YTF leader said some Bangladeshi leaders appeared to have forgotten India’s decisive role in the 1971 Liberation War. “The creation of Bangladesh as a sovereign nation was possible due to India’s support and the sacrifices of the Indian Army. It is unfortunate that the same country is now being projected as an enemy,” he said.
Debbarma warned that if Bangladeshi leaders continued making what he described as “futile and baseless claims” over India’s Northeast, TMP supporters could also raise historical issues, including territorial claims over regions such as Cox’s Bazar. He also pointed to the presence of large minority populations in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, saying these issues could not be ignored.
Another senior TMP leader said that the erstwhile Chakla Roshnabad, a zamindari of the former princely state of Tripura, once covered plain areas of what is now Bangladesh’s Noakhali and Sylhet districts, underscoring Tripura’s historical links with the region.
The protest comes amid heightened tensions after Hasnat Abdullah reportedly warned earlier this week that Bangladesh could work to isolate the Northeast’s ‘Seven Sisters’ and offer shelter to separatist groups if India attempted to destabilise Bangladesh.
