Take over North East, then see what happens: GK Pillai
Shillong, May 4: Former union home secretary GK Pillai wanted Bangladesh to come and take away the North East and face the complexity of the region.
Pillai was speaking in the city before launching a book authored by journalist Patricia Mukhim, on May 3
The book was published by Martin Luther Christian University.
On April 29, Bangladesh Major General (Retd) ALM Fazlur Rahman posted on his social media account that his country should take over the North East if India attacks Pakistan besides advocating the need to start discussions with China on a joint military arrangement in this regard following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
Pillai referred to the matter without naming anyone and said, “I am very happy to ask him to take over and then see what happens….That is another aspect that he was never in the North East”.
However, the interim government in Bangladesh distanced itself from the controversy stating that Rahman made his observation on his personal capacity.
Padma Shri
Referring to the North East and poor knowledge Delhi has about the region, Pillai said that in 1999 after the joint secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office(PMO) asked him about giving Padma awards to people from the North East, he suggested the name of Patricia Mukhim and the rest is history.
Pillai was then the joint secretary, North East, Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
