PM Modi Shuts Down Yunus' Anti-India Rant: 'Rhetoric That Vitiates Environment Is Best Avoided'

New Delhi: In a moment that embodied both strength and statesmanship, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a dignified yet firm rebuttal to Bangladesh ’s Muhammad Yunus, who had sparked controversy with an anti-India remark urging China to leverage Bangladesh against India’s Northeast. With grace and gravitas, PM Modi reminded Yunus that “any rhetoric that vitiates the environment is best avoided.” The Prime Minister’s measured response not only upheld India’s diplomatic stature but also sent a clear message: India will not tolerate attempts to undermine its sovereignty through provocative and misleading narratives.

The conversation between PM Modi and Yunus touched upon key issues concerning regional cooperation, border management, and minority rights, according to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

Addressing reporters, Misri said PM Modi reaffirmed India’s support for a “democratic, stable, peaceful, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh.” The Prime Minister also reiterated India’s intention to build “a positive and constructive relationship” with its eastern neighbour.

Taking a firm yet diplomatic stance, PM Modi cautioned against statements that could strain bilateral ties. “The Prime Minister urged that any rhetoric that vitiates the environment is best avoided,” Misri quoted, in what appeared to be a subtle response to Yunus’ recent controversial remarks urging China to use Bangladesh to counter India’s influence in the Northeast.

Security concerns also featured in the dialogue. PM Modi stressed on the importance of strict law enforcement and the prevention of illegal border crossings to ensure safety and stability along the India-Bangladesh border.

The Prime Minister also expressed India’s deep concerns over the safety and security of minorities in Bangladesh, especially the Hindu community. His remarks come at a time when there have been growing reports of targeted violence against minority groups in parts of Bangladesh.

What Yunus Had Said? 

Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus had stirred a wave of outrage with his provocative and misleading remarks made during an event in China. In a statement widely condemned as anti-India, Yunus claimed that Bangladesh is the “only guardian of the ocean” for India’s northeastern states—popularly known as the Seven Sisters.

“The seven states of India—the eastern part called the Seven Sisters—are a landlocked region. They have no way to reach out to the ocean. We are the only guardians of the ocean for this entire region. This opens up a huge possibility,” Yunus said. 

What raised even more eyebrows was Muhammad Yunus' suggestion that India’s Northeast should act as “an extension of the Chinese economy.” He said, “This could be an extension of the Chinese economy—build things, produce things, market them, send them to China and the rest of the world. That’s a production house. This is the opportunity we should seize, implement, and get done.”