Agartala, Dec 19 The youth wing of the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), an ally of the BJP government in Tripura, on Friday, held a strong protest in front of the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission (AHC) in Agartala, condemning recent remarks by leaders of the neighbouring country allegedly claiming India's Northeast region.
Hundreds of youths, including women, led by Youth Tipra Federation (YTF) President Suraj Debbarma, gathered near the Bangladesh AHC and continued their demonstration for several hours from Friday morning.
The protesters raised slogans against National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah and Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh's interim government, accusing them of making "anti-India" comments and encouraging activities hostile to India.
Addressing the media, YTF President Debbarma said that over the past few days, protests and demonstrations have been held in front of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and at other places in Bangladesh, where participants allegedly raised "anti-India" slogans.
"NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah earlier this week reportedly claimed that they would capture India's 'Seven Sisters' and the Siliguri Corridor and make the region part of their country," he added.
The Siliguri Corridor, often referred to as the 'Chicken's Neck', connects Northeast India with the rest of the country through West Bengal.
The seven Northeastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura -- are collectively known as the 'Seven Sisters'.
Debbarma said that some Bangladeshi leaders have forgotten India's contribution and the sacrifices made by the Indian Army during the 1971 Liberation War that led to the creation of Bangladesh as a sovereign nation.
"When India extended tremendous support during the 1971 war and in the years that followed, why are Bangladeshi leaders now portraying India as an enemy?" he asked.
He also warned that if Bangladeshi leaders continued making what he described as "futile claims" over India's Northeast, TMP supporters could also raise historical issues, including claims over areas such as Cox's Bazar, while saying that a large number of minorities continue to live in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Southeastern Bangladesh.
"Everyone knows that TMP has been agitating for 'Greater Tipraland', and everyone is also aware of how Bangladesh has benefited from India over the past five decades," Debbarma said, adding that the party would not remain silent if "anti-India" activities and false claims regarding the Northeast continued.
Meanwhile, another senior TMP leader said that the erstwhile 'Chakla Roshnabad', was a zamindari of the former princely state of Tripura, once covered plain areas of the then East Pakistan, now parts of Bangladesh's Noakhali and Sylhet districts.
Meanwhile, NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah earlier this week reportedly warned of isolating the Northeast's 'Seven Sisters' and offering shelter to separatist groups if India tried to destabilise Bangladesh.
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