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

Indian BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has called for India to reclaim Noakhali, Sylhet and Chittagong Port, all now part of Bangladesh, alongside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), claiming that former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had forcibly handed over the territories during Partition.

Speaking in an interview with news agency ANI, Dubey alleged that the decisions on the territories were made without adequately considering the objections of the Maharaja of the erstwhile Tipra Kingdom, now Tripura.

"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," he said, according to India Today.

Dubey claimed that Noakhali, Sylhet and Chittagong were historically associated with the Tipra Kingdom and that its ruler, Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya, had repeatedly challenged Nehru's authority to negotiate over those territories.

According to the BJP MP, the Maharaja objected to Noakhali being transferred to Pakistan and questioned the decisions to hold referendums in Sylhet and Chittagong. He maintained that the ruler wanted to determine whether his kingdom and its territories would join India or Pakistan, or remain independent.

Dubey also criticised Nehru over the communal violence in Noakhali in October 1946, alleging that the Congress leader was more concerned about securing the Muslim League's participation in the interim government than addressing attacks on Hindus.

He pointed out that Nehru took charge of the interim government on September 2, 1946, weeks before the violence erupted in Noakhali. Dubey alleged that despite the scale of the violence, Nehru did not visit the affected area.

The BJP MP claimed that approximately 10,000 Hindus were killed in a single day during the massacre.

"Nehru ji was desperate to become Prime Minister. India became independent in 1947, but he did not become Prime Minister on August 15, 1947. He became Prime Minister on September 2, 1946," he said.

Dubey further alleged that Nehru's efforts to bring the Muslim League into the interim government took precedence over responding to the violence in Noakhali.

He also attributed the Northeast's connectivity and development challenges to the loss of Chittagong Port during Partition.

According to Dubey, the port's separation from India restricted the region's access and hindered its ability to exploit natural resources, including mines, minerals and gas.

"It was precisely because Chittagong Port went away that the development of the entire Northeast was halted. If the Northeast appears backwards today, if it faces problems, if we are unable to fully utilise its mines, minerals and gas, and if the region still feels disconnected, it is only because we no longer have that port," he said.

The BJP MP also questioned the role of Baharul Islam, whom he identified as the person responsible for conducting the Sylhet referendum. Dubey alleged that Islam had connections with the Muslim League's Red Army, which he accused of involvement in the Noakhali violence and the political developments surrounding Chittagong and the Sylhet referendum.

He also raised questions about Islam's subsequent career, claiming that the Congress nominated him to the Rajya Sabha before he became a High Court judge and was later elevated to the Supreme Court. Dubey further alleged that Islam was nominated to the Rajya Sabha again after retiring from the apex court.

Referring to Tripura's accession to India, Dubey said Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had sent the Army and that the state became part of India in October 1948, following the signing of the Instrument of Accession by Maharani Kanchan Prabha.

He argued that the concerns raised by the royal family over territories associated with the former kingdom were disregarded during the Partition process.

Reiterating his position, Dubey said India's territorial claims should extend beyond Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to include the areas he alleged had been separated from the erstwhile Tipra Kingdom and were now part of Bangladesh.

"Part of our Kashmir is under Pakistan's illegal occupation, just as parts of our Tripura — Noakhali, Sylhet, and the port of Chittagong — are under Bangladesh's illegal occupation. It is time to bring our part of India back into India," he said.