Politics

BJP MP Calls for Reclaiming Noakhali, Chittagong Port and Sylhet

By Kallol Bhattacherjee

BJP Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey said on Friday, November 6, 2026, that it is time to "reclaim" Noakhali, Chittagong port and Sylhet of Bangladesh. He claimed that these areas were given away by India during 1946‑47, ignoring the opinion of the ruler of the kingdom of Tripura. Dubey blamed Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, saying Nehru sought the support of the Muslim League in the interim government of 1946 and that the decision to leave the three regions for East Pakistan was made without Tripura’s consent. "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 the news agency ANI.

The remarks were supported by Pradyot Manikya, a descendant of the late king of Tripura. Manikya said he had long maintained that large parts of the former Tripura kingdom were seceded to East Pakistan during Partition, keeping his grandmother unaware of the events, and called it the darkest period in the nation’s history. He blamed the landlocked nature of northeast India on the decision to give Chittagong to East Pakistan, which after the 1971 Liberation War became Bangladesh. "Today if we had sea access we would no longer be worried about the Chicken’s neck," he said, noting that he is the head of the Tipra Motha party.

Dubey reiterated that as the leader of the interim government in 1946, Nehru was eager to secure Muslim League support and that the King of Tripura opposed the interim government’s decision on the future of Noakhali, Sylhet and Chittagong. He said Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya had "continuously fought" Nehru on the matter, questioning how Noakhali could be handed to Pakistan, how a referendum could be held on Sylhet, and how a referendum could be held on Chittagong, asserting that the king would decide whether the territories remained part of India, Pakistan or became independent.

Published – November 06, 2026 10:42 pm IST