BJP Slams Yunus Over ‘Expansionist’ Remarks; Claims 80-Year-Old ‘Dream’ To Subjugate Assam And Northeast

The political scenario in Assam has been stirred by the farewell address of Bangladesh’s outgoing Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, which many in India view as a provocative shift in regional posturing.

Reacting to Yunus’s vision of integrating India’s "Seven Sisters" into a Bangladesh-led economic hub, Kishore Upadhyay, chief spokesperson for BJP Assam, warned that this is the resurgence of a historical agenda.

"This has been a long-standing dream of the Bangladeshi leadership. In fact, starting from (Muhammad Ali) Jinnah in 1947 to Yunus today, from Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to Mujibur Rahman. This has been a long-standing and pending dream of theirs. The grief of not being able to take over Assam through the Muslim League remains with the then East Pakistan and today's Bangladesh, regarding the Seven Sisters and now their newly added interests in Bhutan and Nepal," said Upadhyay.

A 70-Year-Old strategy to dominate Assam

The BJP leadership argues that the economic rhetoric coming out of Dhaka masks a deeper demographic and territorial ambition.

Upadhyay pointed to historical precedents, noting, "This is something we have been saying repeatedly. Even in Mujibur Rahman's book titled 'East Pakistan: Population and Economics', written before 1975, he had a dream that the vast lands of Assam could accommodate the growing population of Bangladesh. Similarly, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto also shared that dream."

He further contended that the current instability and political transition in Bangladesh are being leveraged toward this goal.

"So, the current situation in Bangladesh has been created around that very dream, so that Assam can be dominated. And as you already know, with 40 per cent of the population of Bangladeshi origin, efforts have been made toward this for the last 70-80 years. Therefore, if we dismiss what Yunus said as mere political rhetoric, it would be a mistake. This is a long-standing dream of Pakistan and now Bangladesh, and they have been working according to that dream for the past 77-80 years," said Upadhyay.

Concerns over illegal occupation

The reaction from the ruling party in Assam highlights a growing anxiety over internal security and land integrity.

Upadhyay claimed that the influence of these foreign interests is already being felt across several key districts.

"Without the people of Assam even realising it, we have seen much of their influence in Dhubri, Barpeta, Nagaon, Darrang, Morigaon, Karimganj, Cachar, etc. They are illegally occupying our land, forest land and Xatra (monastery) lands. Therefore, as Assamese people, we must take what Yunus said very seriously. We need to work on how to eliminate these influences and destroy that dream," he said. He aligned his statement with the stance of the state's leadership, adding, "And Chief Minister (Himanta Biswa Sarma) has already spoken about these things. Starting from Jinnah, as I mentioned, the chief minister has already stated this."

Role of opposition

The BJP’s critique also extended to political opponents, whom they accuse of facilitating this perceived expansionism.

In a warning to the citizens of the state, Upadhyay said, "If we Assamese people are not alert, the dream seen by Mujibur Rahman, the dream seen by Jinnah, the dream seen by the Muslim League, and the 'ghosts' of the Muslim League who have now entered the Congress—who dream of helping Bangladesh or assisting in its expansion—will one day be fulfilled if we are not vigilant. Therefore, we Assamese people must be alert so that we do not let their dream succeed and instead destroy it. That is our position."

This sharp rebuttal comes as Yunus prepares to hand over power to a new government led by the BNP’s Tarique Rahman, marking a period of heightened uncertainty for India-Bangladesh relations.

Published on: Tuesday, February 17, 2026, 02:39 PM IST