Muhammad Yunus brought up India’s ‘Seven Sisters’ in exit address day before Tarique Rahman’s oath-taking

Muhammad Yunus, the former chief adviser to the Bangladesh interim government, has invoked India's northeastern region – often referred to as ‘Seven Sisters’ – in his farewell address, a day before a new government was set to take over. Muhammad Yunus stepped down on Monday in a farewell broadcast to the nation before handing over to an elected government.

In his address, Muhammad Yunus emphasised that Bangladesh’s access to the sea was not just a matter of geography, but a gateway for trade and economic engagement with the global market.

Muhammad Yunus proposed a sub-regional economic framework aiming to connect Bangladesh’s maritime access with Nepal, Bhutan, and the ‘Seven Sisters’, notably without mentioning India.

This is likely to ruffle feathers in New Delhi, especially given the already strained ties with Bangladesh.

Muhammad Yunus said, “Our open sea is not only a geographical boundary, it is an open door to engage with the world economy for Bangladesh. This region along with Nepal, Bhutan and Seven Sisters has great economic potential.”

Top intelligence sources told News18 that Yunus’s omission of India while referencing the ‘Seven Sisters’ is “a deliberate strategic message” aimed at reshaping global perceptions of India’s northeast.

Earlier in December 2025, Hasnat Abdullah, a leader of Bangladesh’s National Citizen Party (NCP), had threatened to isolate India’s northeastern region and suggested providing refuge to separatist groups if Bangladesh were destabilised, prompting Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to summon the Bangladesh High Commissioner to raise concerns.

Hasnat Abdullah had said, “We will shelter separatist and anti-India forces, and then we will sever the seven sisters from India. I want to make it clear to India that if you provide shelter to forces that do not respect Bangladesh’s sovereignty, potential, voting rights, and human rights, Bangladesh will respond.”

The the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner returned from self-imposed exile in August 2024, just days after the government of Sheikh Hasina was overthrown by a student-led uprising and she fled by helicopter to India.

Referring to the day Sheikh Hasina fled to India, Muhammad Yunus said, “That was the day of great liberation. What a day of joy it was! Bangladeshis across the world shed tears of happiness. The youth of our country freed it from the grip of a demon.”

He has led Bangladesh as its "chief adviser" since, and now hands over power after congratulating the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its leader Tarique Rahman on a "landslide victory" in elections last week.

"The people, voters, political parties, and stakeholder institutions linked to the election have set a commendable example," Yunus said, adding, “This election has set a benchmark for future elections.”

Tarique Rahman, 60, chief of the BNP and scion of one of the country's most powerful political dynasties, will lead the South Asian nation of 170 million. He took oath as Bangladesh prime minister on Tuesday, February 17.

(With agency inputs)