BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has called for reclaiming Noakhali, Sylhet and Chittagong Port, territories that are now part of Bangladesh, alongside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), alleging that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru forcibly handed them over during Partition.
“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 said.
The BJP leader argued that the three territories were historically part of the erstwhile Tipra Kingdom, now known as Tripura, and alleged that the decisions taken during Partition ignored the objections of its ruler, Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya.
In an interview with news agency ANI, Dubey said that the Maharaja had repeatedly questioned Nehru’s authority to negotiate over territories that he considered part of his kingdom. According to the BJP MP, the ruler had objected to Noakhali being handed over to Pakistan and questioned the decision to hold referendums in Sylhet and Chittagong.
Dubey said the Maharaja wanted to decide whether his kingdom and its territories would become part of India, Pakistan or remain independent.
DUBEY BLAMES NEHRU FOR NOAKHALI MASSACRE
The BJP MP also invoked the 1946 Noakhali violence to attack Nehru, alleging that the then Congress leadership prioritised bringing the Muslim League into the interim government over addressing the violence against Hindus.
Dubey claimed that Nehru, who became the head of the interim government on September 2, 1946, remained preoccupied with securing the Muslim League’s participation in his government even as violence erupted in Noakhali in October that year.
He alleged that around 10,000 Hindus were killed in a single day during the massacre and accused Nehru of not visiting the affected region as the head of the interim government.
“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,” Dubey said.
He further alleged that Nehru’s political priorities prevented him from responding adequately to the violence in Noakhali, while the Muslim League was seeking a place in his government.
DUBEY LINKS LOSS OF CHITTAGONG PORT TO NORTHEAST’S DEVELOPMENT
Dubey also linked the loss of Chittagong Port during Partition to what he described as the Northeast’s continuing development and connectivity challenges.
He argued that the region’s geographical isolation and its inability to fully utilise its natural resources, including mines, minerals and gas, were consequences of losing access to the port.
“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.
Dubey maintained that reclaiming Chittagong Port, Noakhali and Sylhet was necessary to correct what he described as historical mistakes made during Partition.
DUBEY QUESTIONS SYLHET REFERENDUM, TARGETS BAHARUL ISLAM
The BJP MP also questioned the role of Baharul Islam, whom he identified as the person who conducted the Sylhet referendum. He alleged that Islam had links with the Muslim League’s Red Army, which, according to him, was involved in the Noakhali violence and played a role in the political developments surrounding Chittagong and the Sylhet referendum.
Dubey further pointed to Islam’s subsequent political and judicial career, alleging that the Congress first made him a Rajya Sabha member, after which he was appointed a High Court judge and later elevated to the Supreme Court. He claimed that after he retired from the Supreme Court, Islam was again nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
The BJP MP used these allegations to question the decisions surrounding the Sylhet referendum and the subsequent transfer of territories to Pakistan.
DUBEY INVOKES TRIPURA’S ACCESSION TO INDIA
Explaining his argument about the erstwhile Tipra Kingdom, Dubey referred to Tripura’s accession to India in 1948.
He said Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel sent the Army and that Tripura became part of India in October 1948 after Maharani Kanchan Prabha signed the Instrument of Accession.
Dubey argued that the objections raised by the royal family over the territories associated with the kingdom were not adequately considered during Partition.
He reiterated that the demand to reclaim territories should not be limited to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, but should also extend to areas that he claimed were separated from the erstwhile Tripura Kingdom.
“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,” Dubey said.
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