BJP MP Dubey calls for ‘reclaiming’ Noakhali, Chittagong Port and Sylhet from Bangladesh

BJP lawmaker Nishikant Dubey has called for India to “reclaim” Noakhali, Chittagong Port, and Sylhet from Bangladesh.

He claimed the territories were handed over to East Pakistan during Partition without the consent of the ruler of the erstwhile Tripura kingdom, The Hindu reported.

Dubey made the remarks on Friday, blaming India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the decision.

According to The Hindu, he alleged that Nehru wanted the Muslim League’s support in the interim government formed in 1946 and consequently agreed to leave the three regions out of India.

“... My view is that the time has come not just to reclaim Pakistan-occupied Kashmir from Pakistan. It is also time to reclaim the territories that Nehru ji forcibly handed over, whether it is Noakhali, Chittagong Port or Sylhet,” Dubey told Indian news agency ANI.

According to The Hindu, Dubey’s remarks received backing from Pradyot Manikya, a descendant of Tripura’s erstwhile royal family and head of the Tipra Motha party.

“I have been maintaining that huge parts of erstwhile Tripura Kingdom were seceded to East Pakistan keeping my grandmother in the dark during Partition and this was the darkest period in our nation’s history,” Manikya was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

He also linked the loss of Chattogram to the northeastern Indian region’s lack of direct access to the sea, arguing that the decision had left the region geographically constrained, reports The Hindu.

“Today if we had sea access we would no longer be worried about the Chicken’s Neck,” Manikya told The Hindu, referring to the narrow strip of land connecting northeastern India with the rest of the country.

Dubey further claimed that Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya, the then king of Tripura, had opposed the interim government’s decision on the future of Noakhali, Sylhet, and Chattogram and repeatedly challenged Nehru over the matter.

He quoted the king as saying: “How can you hand over Noakhali to Pakistan? How can you hold a referendum on Sylhet? How can you hold a referendum on Chattogram? This is my kingdom. I will decide whether it remains part of India, Pakistan or becomes an independent state.”