'India must turn chicken's neck into elephant's': Sadhguru on Siliguri corridor amid threats from Dhaka

• Sadhguru urges India to fortify Siliguri Corridor amid Bangladesh tensions.
• Sheikh Hasina: Threats to India are "dangerous" and don't represent Bangladesh
• Siliguri Corridor connects India's mainland to its northeastern Seven Sisters states.

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Weighing in on constant provocations from Bangladesh's interim leadership and subsequent threats around India's Siliguri corridor, spiritual leader Sadhguru on Sunday argued that India should strengthen what is often referred to as the "chicken's neck" into an "elephant's neck".

In April last year, Muhammad Yunus, during a visit to China, referred to India’s Northeast as “landlocked,” implying its dependence on transit routes through Bangladesh, sparking swift diplomatic and economic responses from New Delhi.

"Seven states of India, the eastern part of India, called seven sisters... they are landlocked country, landlocked region of India. They have no way to reach out to the ocean. We are the only guardian of the ocean for all this region. So this opens up a huge possibility. So this could be an extension of the Chinese economy," remarked Yunus.

The Siliguri Corridor, often referred to as the “Chicken’s Neck,” is a narrow stretch of land in West Bengal that connects India’s mainland to its northeastern states — Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya, collectively known as the Seven Sisters.

Sadhguru reflecting upon the threats encircling India, said that as the nation faces a threat to its sovereignty, India must develop the chicken into an elephant, referring to extremist policies by Bangladeshi regime. "Siliguri Corridor is a 78-year-old anomaly created by Bharat's partition, which should have been corrected in 1971. Now that there is an open threat to the nation's sovereignty, it is time to nourish the chicken and allow it to evolve into an elephant," added Sadguru.

Earlier, former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina described such rhetoric as "dangerous and irresponsible," saying no serious leader would threaten a neighbour on whom Bangladesh depends for trade, transit and stability.

She said such voices "do not represent the Bangladeshi people," and expressed confidence that "once democracy is restored and responsible governance returns, such reckless talk will end." Commenting on indications of growing Pakistan-Bangladesh engagement, Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh believes in "friendship to all, malice toward none," but criticised what she described as Yunus' "headlong embrace" of Islamabad.

As per the Assam Accord and subsequent provisions under the Citizenship Act, individuals who entered Assam from Bangladesh before March 24, 1971, and have been residing in the state, are deemed Indian citizens. Those who migrated after the cut-off date are considered illegal immigrants under Indian law.