GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that while the creation of Bangladesh is often hailed as a diplomatic triumph, history tells a different story.
He stated that India’s decisive and historic military victory in 1971 broke Pakistan in two and gave birth to Bangladesh. “But while our soldiers delivered a stunning battlefield success, India’s political leadership failed to secure lasting strategic gains,” he posted on X.
Sarma also remarked that India supported a secular Bangladesh, but by 1988, Islam had been declared the state religion. Today, “political Islam” thrives in Dhaka, undermining the very values India fought to protect, he said.
Speaking on the persecution of Hindus, the Assam Chief Minister said, “Hindus, once 20% of Bangladesh’s population, have dwindled to under 8%. Systematic discrimination and violence remain a shameful reality that India has largely ignored.”
He added that despite military dominance, India failed to resolve the vulnerability of the Siliguri Corridor. A secure land corridor through northern Bangladesh could have integrated the Northeast, but no such arrangement was ever pursued.
“No agreement mandated the return of illegal Bangladeshi migrants. As a result, Assam, Bengal, and the Northeast face unchecked demographic change, sparking social unrest and political instability,” Sarma stated.
He further said that India did not secure access to the strategic Chittagong Port and, five decades later, the Northeast remains landlocked despite having birthed a nation through blood and sacrifice.
He noted that for decades, Bangladesh served as a base for anti-India insurgent groups that exploited the vacuum India had failed to close in 1971.
“India’s military triumph in 1971 was not matched by strategic foresight. What could have been a new regional order was reduced to a one-sided act of generosity. Had Mrs Indira Gandhi been alive today, the nation would have questioned her for mishandling the decisive victory won by our armed forces,” Sarma said, adding, “The creation of Bangladesh was not a bargain, it was a historic opportunity lost.”