‘Chicken’s Neck’ used as intimidation tactic for decades: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Tuesday the ‘Chicken’s Neck’ area has been used as an intimidation tactic for decades by anti-national forces, both within and outside India.

Sarma’s comments came a day after railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Centre is planning to build underground railway tracks along a 40-km strategic corridor including the ‘Chicken’s Neck’.

Addressing reporters through video conferencing on the Union budget allocation for the railway ministry, Vaishnaw said, “There is special planning for the 40-km strategic corridor connecting the northeast with the rest of the country.”


The Siliguri corridor connecting the northeastern states to the rest of India is referred to as the ‘Chicken's Neck’ spanning about 20–22 kms. It is a narrow stretch of land in West Bengal, which shares direct borders with Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, and is in close proximity to the Chinese border.

“This is BIG,” Sarma stated in X, reacting to the railway minister’s announcement. “For decades, the “Chicken’s Neck” has been used as an intimidation tactic by anti-national forces, both within and beyond our borders. The proposed underground rail link marks a major strategic breakthrough, creating a secure and foolproof transportation corridor between the Northeast and the rest of the country.”

"Thanks to the decisive leadership of Prime Minister narendramodi Ji and Minister AshwiniVaishnaw Ji, we are taking a giant step towards mitigating this long-standing strategic vulnerability - one that, in hindsight, should have been addressed much earlier, perhaps even in the aftermath of 1971,” said Sarma.

There is concern amid reports that China is aiding Bangladesh in reviving a World War II airbase at Lalmonirhar, located close to the Indian border near Siliguri. The airbase is under control of the Bangladesh Air Force but inactive for decades.

Bangladesh interim government’s chief advisor Prof Muhammad Yunus had said in May 2025 that Dhaka was the only guardian of the seas for India’s landlocked Northeastern states.

During his four-day visit to China, Yunus said “Seven states of India, eastern part of India, called seven sisters, are landlocked country, landlocked region of India. They have no way to reach out to the ocean. We are the only guardian of the ocean for all this region. So, this opens a huge possibility. This could be an extension of the Chinese economy. Build things, produce things, market things, bring things to China, bring it out to the whole rest of the world.”

Earlier, the Assam CM had said, “I will request the Government of India to explore the possibility of underground railways and roadways below the Chicken’s Neck and in future even one alternate route by passing Chicken’s Neck can come up through Bhutan can be explored.”