Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that the foreign policy decision taken in 1971 after the Liberation War to create another country resulted in ignoring the issue of Chicken’s Neck, which left North East region vulnerable.

In a critique of the Congress party’s foreign policy decisions, Sarma reignited the decades-old debate on India’s strategic approach during and after the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

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Referring to the recently launched #OperationSindoor initiative — a social media campaign celebrating India’s military and strategic strength — Sarma demanded that the Congress clarify its stance on the critical decisions made during that pivotal moment in South Asian history.

“They say Indira Gandhi created Bangladesh. Then why didn’t you negotiate for the Chicken’s Neck?” he asked, referring to the narrow Siliguri Corridor — a strategically vulnerable 22-kilometre-wide stretch of land connecting mainland India to its northeastern states.

Sarma alleged that the Congress, despite presiding over one of India’s most decisive military victories, failed to secure long-term strategic benefits.

“You had the chance to gain at least 100 kilometers of territory from Bangladesh and ensure a seamless, secure connection to the Northeast. But instead, you left us with the same geographical vulnerability.”

The Chicken’s Neck, or Siliguri Corridor, is often described as India’s Achilles heel in terms of national security. It is a narrow strip of land surrounded by international borders with Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, through which all road, rail, and communication lines between the Northeast and the rest of India pass. Any disruption to this corridor, military experts have long warned, could sever India’s hold over its eight northeastern states.

Sarma’s comments also criticized the ideological outcomes of the 1971 war. “If Indira Gandhi were alive today, I would ask her — if you won a war, why did you allow the creation of an Islamic republic right next to us?” he said. “Why didn’t you ensure that the new Bangladesh constitution guaranteed secularism and democratic alignment with India’s strategic interests?”

The 1971 war led to the creation of Bangladesh after a short but intense military campaign. India’s intervention, both diplomatically and militarily, was widely hailed, with then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi earning international acclaim.