New Delhi, Feb 19: With Tarique Rahman kicking off his first term as Prime Minister of Bangladesh, all eyes are on how he would handle his neighbours. The first signs have been positive, especially when it comes to India. However, security agencies caution against resurgence in militancy amid ‘Seven Sisters’ remarks by former chief adviser of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus in his farewell speech recently.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited for Rahman’s swearing-in ceremony as Prime Minister, but he was unable to make it, owing to the ongoing India AI Impact Summit 2026 and a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla represented India on behalf of PM Modi.
Prime Minister Rahman does realise the importance of sharing good ties with India, but Yunus in his farewell speech had some provocative comments to make. He once again spoke about the future economic integration that would involve Nepal, Bhutan and the Seven Sisters-a term that is used to refer to the northeastern states of India.
Bangladesh watchers say that Yunus was clearly not happy with the reset of ties between India and his country. He chose to isolate India when it came to Bangladesh. Instead, he cozied up to Pakistan and Nepal, while allowing the radicals in his country to dish out an anti-India rhetoric.
Intelligence Bureau officials say that the mention of the northeastern states is a matter of concern. In the past, India has faced problems when militant groups from the northeastern states operated from Bangladesh. During that period (2001-2006), it was the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami that were in power.
At a time when India and Bangladesh are looking to reset ties, the comments by Yunus especially regarding the Seven Sisters were irresponsible.
India has invested heavily in the northeastern states, some of which are very sensitive in nature. India has battled insurgency in the northeast for long and managed to bring the situation under control. Such statements by Yunus involving states that are sensitive in nature appear to be deliberate and at the behest of foreign elements, officials point out.
The statement also comes at a time when there is apprehension within the Indian agencies about the attempt to revive militant infrastructure in the border regions.
All this infrastructure had been dismantled by India with the help of Bangladesh. India will have to engage constantly with Dhaka on this issue to prevent the revival of such infrastructure.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that the Siliguri Corridor is extremely vulnerable. This is often referred to as the Chicken’s Neck and it links the northeastern states to the rest of India. Taking into account the sensitivity of the area, the comments by Yunus are a deliberate attempt to provoke insurgent groups, some of which have the backing of China, the official added.
Adding to the worries of the Indian security agencies is the fact that the Jamaat has won a majority of the seats in constituencies that are bordering India. Over the years, the Jamaat has cultivated these constituencies by setting up radical schools, which indulge in propaganda.
The Jamaat has often indulged in politics of hate and its stance has mostly been anti-India. The very fact that it has so much control over the border constituencies is a worry since, there is a possibility that it could help reactivate the terror infrastructure that had been dismantled.
An official said that reactivating the infrastructure may not be too easy as India is on guard. However, for the security agencies, it would be an ongoing process to ensure that the borders remain safe, the official also added.
Another official said that the game by Yunus is clearly being controlled by foreign players. All through his farewell speech, he spoke in great lengths about China and Pakistan, while deliberately ignoring India.
While he spoke in great detail about his achievement during the last 1.5 years, he made no mention on how badly he handled communal violence. Under him, Hindus and other minorities were persecuted and killed, while scores of rabid preachers and terrorists were released and allowed to rule the streets.
–IANS