Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s interim government Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, were seen sitting side by side at an official dinner hosted by Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra ahead of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) summit. Their seating arrangement has fuelled speculation about a possible bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the regional gathering.
Apart from PM Modi, BIMSTEC summit will see the participation of leaders from Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, and Bhutan. The summit also brought PM Modi face-to-face with Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. The ties between India and Bangladesh has seen a slump since last year after India voiced concerns over violence against Hindus and minorities in Bangladesh following the ouster of then prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. The meeting between the two leaders would come against the backdrop of Yunus’ recent remarks about the Northeast India, which provoked a sharp reaction from the government.
During his recent visit to China, Yunus, described India’s Northeast as ‘landlocked’ with “no way to reach out to the ocean,” positioning Bangladesh as the region’s primary maritime gateway. He also requested Beijing to expand its economic influence in Bangladesh, calling the country the “only guardian of the ocean” in the region. Political leaders in India slammed Yunus’s remarks. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma denounced the statements as “offensive and unacceptable”.
Sarma also cautioned that Yunus’s remarks reignited debates over the strategic “Chicken’s Neck” corridor, the narrow land strip in West Bengal linking the Northeast to the rest of India. Former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh accused Bangladesh’s interim government of viewing India’s Northeast as a “strategic pawn” and cautioned Yunus against making ‘irresponsible’ remarks on India’s sovereignty.
