A recent statement by Muhammad Yunus, interim Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, has sparked concern in India as he referred to the northeastern states of India, known as the Seven Sisters, highlighting Bangladesh’s role as the “guardians of the ocean” due to their landlocked status. This comment is perceived as a veiled assertion of territorial ambitions, especially amid recent calls in Bangladesh for the annexation of these regions. The deteriorating India-Bangladesh relations, following Yunus’s rise to power after an ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, have heightened fears of potential threats to India’s security and territorial integrity, particularly given Yunus’s government’s alleged anti- India rhetoric and the geopolitical context involving China and Pakistan.
