Himanta Biswa Sarma: Indira Gandhi’s ‘one-sided generosity’ post-1971 left India’s 'chicken’s neck' exposed

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma sparked controversy on Sunday with claims that India's political leadership squandered strategic advantages following the 1971 war that created Bangladesh.

"India's military triumph in 1971 was not matched by strategic foresight," Sarma stated in a social media post. "What could have been a new regional order was reduced to a one-sided act of generosity."

The CM's comments highlight several contentious points about India-Bangladesh relations over the past five decades:

While India supported a secular Bangladesh during its independence, Islam was later declared the state religion in 1988. Sarma notes the Hindu population has decreased from 20 per cent to under 8 per cent amid ongoing concerns about religious persecution.

Sarma also criticised the failure to secure a land corridor through northern Bangladesh to better connect India's northeast with the mainland, leaving the strategic Siliguri Corridor (known as the "Chicken's Neck") vulnerable.

Other missed opportunities, according to Sarma, include lack of agreements on migration issues affecting border states, no secured access to Chittagong Port, and insufficient measures to prevent Bangladesh from becoming a refuge for anti-India insurgent groups.

The Assam CM directly questioned former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's handling of post-war negotiations, suggesting her administration failed to capitalise on military success.