Tripura ex-Royal & BJP Ally Lays Claims on Bangladesh Beaches
Cox's Bazar Beach of Bangladesh (Image credit X.com)
BJP’s Tripura Ally Seeks Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar Beaches
By TRH News Desk
New Delhi, April 15, 2025: Tripura’s ex-royal and chief of Tipra Motha Party (TMP) Pradyot Manikya Deb Barma said on Tuesday that the “Northeast needs beaches” while tagging Bangladesh’s Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar in a post on X.
“Northeast needs a Beach, Goa is too far away! What do u think,” asked TMP chief, who is an ally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre. He used hash tags of Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar besides landlocked.
Chief Advisor of the Interim Government of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus during his China trip in a viral video clip was seen saying that the “eight Northeastern states of India are landlocked while Bangladesh is the only guardian of the sea”. The statement of Yunus riled up Indian political leaders.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma slammed Yunus for his “landlocked” statement for the Northeast. Prime Minister Narendra Modi per reports counselled Yunus to desist from rhetoric that “vitiates atmosphere” in his first meeting with the Bangladesh leader in Bangkok on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit.
The Tripura leader replied in an affirmative to a question of senior journalist Manish Anand who asked if he was “suggesting taking over Bangladesh”. “Advocating taking back what was always ours,” he said in a reply in X to Anand.
In the aftermath of Yunus-Modi meeting in Bangkok and also the “landlocked” statement of the Bangladesh leader, India recently withdrew a circular that had allowed transshipment of goods through Indian territories between the Islamic nation and Nepal and Bangladesh. Currently, the two Himalayan nations also sell electricity to Bangladesh through Indian grids.
While Bangladesh as East Pakistan came in existence after the partition of India in 1947, historical records are not available if Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar were ever parts of Tripura. Bangladesh birthed in 1971 after violent uprisals against the Pakistani Army.
The Tipra Motha Party (TMP) is an alliance partner of the BJP in Tripura, which was formalized in March 2024. A tripartite agreement has committed to address issues concerning the indigenous people of Tripura.
Cox’s Bazar is located in southeastern Bangladesh. While it was not historically part of the princely state of Tripura, the region came under the influence of Tripura and neighbouring powers at various times due to its strategic coastal location.
The history of Cox’s Bazar and its surrounding areas involves a complex interplay of regional kingdoms and colonial powers.
In the early medieval period, the greater Chittagong area, including Cox’s Bazar, was under the rule of the Arakan kings from the 9th century until the Mughal conquest in 1666. During this time, the area was influenced by neighbouring powers, including the Tripura kingdom, which held sway over parts of eastern Bengal and present-day northeastern India.
Some historical accounts suggest that Tripura’s rulers, particularly during the height of their power in the medieval period, may have exerted influence over adjacent areas, including parts of what is now Cox’s Bazar district, through trade or occasional military campaigns. However, there is no definitive evidence that Cox’s Bazar was formally incorporated into the Tripura kingdom as a governed territory.
Historical records state that the Mughals took control of Cox’s Bazar in 1666. Afterwards the region came under the influence of Arakanese, Portuguese, and eventually the British East India Company.
The British officer Hiram Cox, after whom the town is named, was appointed in the late 18th century to manage the settlement of Arakanese refugees in the area, marking a significant point in its modern history.
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