Fake Quote: Dr. Yunus never claimed or threatened India’s Seven Sisters for Bangladesh 

Recently, a photocard featuring a picture of Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of the Interim Government, has been circulating on social media. It claims that he said, “The Seven Sisters, i.e., the 7 states of India, belong to us; we will soon free them from Indian control.”

It is worth noting that the Seven Sisters refers to the seven states in Northeast India: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura.

See Facebook posts making this claim here (Archive) and here (Archive).

Fact-check

Rumor Scanner’s investigation found that Chief Adviser Dr. Yunus did not make any such comment claiming India’s Seven Sisters for Bangladesh or stating that these states would soon be freed from India. In reality, this fake quote has been attributed to the Chief Adviser without any reliable evidence.

During the investigation, a review of the posts circulating the claim found no mention of any credible sources. Additionally, relevant keyword searches did not yield any evidence of this statement in mainstream media or reliable sources. If Dr. Yunus had made such a comment, it would have been extensively reported in both mainstream and international media.

In searching for comments by Dr. Yunus regarding the Seven Sisters, it was found that he has spoken about them in different contexts at various times. For instance, during a visit to China last March, he spoke about the business potential of India’s seven northeastern states. He said, “The seven states known as the Seven Sisters in eastern India are landlocked regions. They have no way to access the sea. Bangladesh is the sole guardian of the sea for this region”. Previously, in an interview with Indian media outlet NDTV last year, Dr. Yunus stated that stability is needed in Bangladesh. He warned at the time that if stability does not return to Bangladesh, Myanmar and the seven states known as India’s Seven Sisters could also become unstable. However, he was never seen making the claimed comment about taking the Seven Sisters from India.

It is noteworthy that while the Chief Adviser did not make the alleged comment, NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah, during a speech at a meeting organized by Inqilab Mancha on December 15, said, “I want to tell India clearly… since you (India) are sheltering those who do not believe in the sovereignty of my country… I want to state clearly—we will provide shelter to the separatists in India and separate those Seven Sisters from India”. This statement by Hasnat Abdullah has sparked significant discussion and criticism in both India and Bangladesh.

Therefore, the claim that Chief Adviser Dr. Yunus remarked, “The Seven Sisters, i.e., the 7 states of India, belong to us; we will soon free them from Indian control,” is false.

References

• Dhaka Post: What did Dr. Yunus say about the Seven Sisters, why the uproar in India?
• News24: If stability doesn’t return to Bangladesh, Myanmar, India and Seven Sisters will be unstable: Yunus
• Rumor Scanner’s Analysis