Will PM Narendra Modi meet Muhammad Yunus in BIMSTEC Summit after his 'north-east landlocked' comment?

Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in Bangkok on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit beginning April 4? Bangladesh will assume the presidency of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) at this summit.

Will the tension noticed in the India-Bangladesh bilateral ties ease out in the coming weeks after the chief adviser to the Bangladesh interim government stirred controversy by saying that the seven north-eastern states of India are a landlocked area and so Dhaka is the only guardian of the sea?

Muhammad stirs hornet's net

Muhammad Yunus talked about the seven sisters of India on a visit to China, where he met President Xi Jinping and signed a number of deals. 

A controversy erupted in India, where Yunus' statement was considered an oblique threat to the unity and integrity of the country. It is a sensitive issue in India because of a 22-kilometre-wide land mass situated between Nepal and Bangladesh. Known as "chicken's neck" or the Siliguri Corridor, it is the only route through which one can go to the north-east from the rest of India. 

Not only the leaders of the north-east react angrily, some went to the extent of threatening Bangladesh to dismember it and encouraging the demand for a separate homeland for Hindus of Bangladesh. 

Though the MEA is tight-lipped over the development, analysts believe it did not go down well with the Indian establishment. 

Why did Muhammad Yunus visit China?

If media reports are to be believed, the Nobel laureate economist wanted to meet PM Modi, but he did not get the time as the MEA mandarins were upset with the increasing bonhomie between Bangladesh and Pakistan. 

Muhammad Yunus also got a cold shoulder after Narendra Modi did not meet him in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings in November last year. 

Will PM Modi meet Myanmar's junta head?

If media reports are to be believed, the Indian Prime Minister is most likely to meet Myanmar's ruling military junta head Senior General Min Aung Hlaing beside Nepalese Prime Minister KP Oli. 

The military junta has been in control of Myanmar following a coup d’etat in February 2021, when Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested on fabricated charges and put behind bars. 

However, when the eastern Asian country faced a devastating earthquake of magnitude 7.7 last week, India rushed to help it through Operation Brahma. It sent a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission to Myanmar. 

PM Modi may face severe criticism for meeting the dictator. However, India may extend the olive branch due to realpolitik keeping in mind Yangon's proximity to China. 

PM Modi likely to meet Nepal PM

PM Modi may meet Nepal's Prime Minister amid the pro-monarchy movement escalating to a hostile phase when arson, loot and vandalism took place and two people were killed in the capital Kathmandu last week. 

It is significant because some leaders in Nepal accused India, particularly UP CM Yogi Adityanath of being behind the movement to reinstate King Gyanendra.