'India is a nuclear nation': Himanta Sarma's stern warning after Bangladesh leader's 'seven sisters' remark

Himanta Biswa Sarma | File Photo

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday strongly reacted to repeated remarks emerging from sections in Bangladesh suggesting the separation of Northeast India (Seven Sisters) and its merger with Bangladesh, calling such notions “baseless and dangerous.”

Speaking to the media, Sarma said that over the past year, statements and discussions have surfaced repeatedly in Bangladesh hinting at attempts to detach the Northeast from India. He categorically dismissed these claims, asserting that India is a sovereign, powerful nation and such ideas are unrealistic.

Sarma's remark comes after a senior leader of Bangladesh's newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP), Hasnat Abdullah, said on Monday that Dhaka should “isolate” India's northeastern states if New Delhi tries to “destabilise” Bangladesh, reported news agency PTI. He also reportedly said that Bangladesh should extend support to separatist elements in India's northeast region.

Earlier, Hasnat Abdullah, a leader of Bangladesh’s National Citizen Party (NCP), issued a warning suggesting that Dhaka could offer shelter to forces hostile to India, including separatist groups, and spoke of attempts to “sever the seven sisters”, a reference to India’s northeastern states.

Addressing a gathering at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar, Abdullah claimed that Bangladesh would provide sanctuary to “separatist and anti-India forces” and asserted that such support could be used to cut off the northeastern region from India. The remarks were met with loud applause from sections of the audience.

The term “seven sisters” collectively refers to Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. Of these, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram share a land boundary with Bangladesh, underscoring the strategic sensitivity of the region in bilateral security considerations.