News Analysis India

Tag: Subhas Chandra Bose

  • RSS ideology and Netaji’s ideals poles apart, don’t coincide: Daughter Anita Bose Pfaff

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Amidst the fanfare over RSS’ plans to celebrate Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary in the city on January 23, his daughter Anita Bose-Pfaff has said that the organisation’s ideology and the nationalist leader’s ideas of secularism and inclusiveness are “poles apart and do not coincide”.

    She agreed that the fanfare over the celebration of her father’s birth anniversary is to “partially serve their (BJP, RSS) own interests”.

    As far as ideology is concerned, the Congress has a lot more in common with Netaji than any other party in the country, she said.

    RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will address a public programme at Shahid Minar ground in the city to commemorate Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary.]

    ALSO READ | RSS’ attempt to appropriate Netaji on his birth anniversary triggers consternation in Kolkata

    BJP and RSS do not reflect the idea of respecting all religions as preached by Netaji, who was a devout Hindu but believed in respecting other faiths.

    He was in favour of productive cooperation between members of different religions, Bose-Pfaff said.

    “The RSS and BJP do not necessarily reflect this attitude …If you want to put a simple label, they are rightists and Netaji was a leftist,” she told PTI over phone from Germany where she lives.

    “From what I hear about the RSS ideology, I would agree that it and Netaji’s ideology are poles apart. The two value systems do not coincide. It will certainly be good if the RSS felt it wanted to embrace Netaji’s ideals and ideas. Many different groups want to celebrate Netaji’s birthday in different ways and a number of them necessarily agree with his ideas,” Bose-Pfaff said.

    Asked whether Netaji was a critic of the RSS, she said “I don’t know any quote (of Netaji) which I can give you. He may have made critical statements about RSS members. I know what his (Netaji’s) views are and about RSS. The two value systems do not coincide. RSS and Netaji’s ideology of secularism do not coincide with each other,” she said.

    Speaking on the recent pomp and fanfare over Netaji’s birth anniversary celebrations, she lauded the BJP-led government at the Centre for taking a “lot of initiatives” to honour him.

    “This has two aspects. After Independence, the official Congress stand on Netaji was reserved and not shared by all Congressmen. It wanted to keep the narrative that it was only the civil disobedience movement that led to the country’s freedom. But after Netaji files were declassified we came to know that Indian National Army (INA) played a very key role in it,” she said.

    READ HERE | Netaji in Nagaland: The untold story

    On the second aspect, Pfaff wondered whether BJP would have honoured Netaji if he had held divergent views from that of the present-day government.

    “The BJP has made a lot of effort to honour Netaji. With any politician, you have first to allow them to look at his/her interest. If Netaji was alive today and held a different view from that of the government, then the BJP would not have honoured him. =So (in this case) it is their interest that is served,” she said.

    The Trinamool Congress and BJP had locked horns to appropriate Netaji’s legacy on his 125th birth anniversary ahead of the assembly polls in 2021.

    In 2015, the West Bengal government released 64 files on the leader held by the home department.

    The Narendra Modi government at the Centre released 100 files on him the next year.

    After Independence, the Centre had formed three inquiry commissions to unravel the mystery of Netaji’s disappearance.

    Two of them — the Shah Nawaz Commission and Khosla Commission were formed by the Congress governments and concluded that Bose died in an air crash on August 18, 1945, soon after taking off from Taihoku airport in Taiwan.

    The third one — the Mukherjee Commission formed by the BJP-led NDA government said he did not.

    KOLKATA: Amidst the fanfare over RSS’ plans to celebrate Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary in the city on January 23, his daughter Anita Bose-Pfaff has said that the organisation’s ideology and the nationalist leader’s ideas of secularism and inclusiveness are “poles apart and do not coincide”.

    She agreed that the fanfare over the celebration of her father’s birth anniversary is to “partially serve their (BJP, RSS) own interests”.

    As far as ideology is concerned, the Congress has a lot more in common with Netaji than any other party in the country, she said.

    RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will address a public programme at Shahid Minar ground in the city to commemorate Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary.]

    ALSO READ | RSS’ attempt to appropriate Netaji on his birth anniversary triggers consternation in Kolkata

    BJP and RSS do not reflect the idea of respecting all religions as preached by Netaji, who was a devout Hindu but believed in respecting other faiths.

    He was in favour of productive cooperation between members of different religions, Bose-Pfaff said.

    “The RSS and BJP do not necessarily reflect this attitude …If you want to put a simple label, they are rightists and Netaji was a leftist,” she told PTI over phone from Germany where she lives.

    “From what I hear about the RSS ideology, I would agree that it and Netaji’s ideology are poles apart. The two value systems do not coincide. It will certainly be good if the RSS felt it wanted to embrace Netaji’s ideals and ideas. Many different groups want to celebrate Netaji’s birthday in different ways and a number of them necessarily agree with his ideas,” Bose-Pfaff said.

    Asked whether Netaji was a critic of the RSS, she said “I don’t know any quote (of Netaji) which I can give you. He may have made critical statements about RSS members. I know what his (Netaji’s) views are and about RSS. The two value systems do not coincide. RSS and Netaji’s ideology of secularism do not coincide with each other,” she said.

    Speaking on the recent pomp and fanfare over Netaji’s birth anniversary celebrations, she lauded the BJP-led government at the Centre for taking a “lot of initiatives” to honour him.

    “This has two aspects. After Independence, the official Congress stand on Netaji was reserved and not shared by all Congressmen. It wanted to keep the narrative that it was only the civil disobedience movement that led to the country’s freedom. But after Netaji files were declassified we came to know that Indian National Army (INA) played a very key role in it,” she said.

    READ HERE | Netaji in Nagaland: The untold story

    On the second aspect, Pfaff wondered whether BJP would have honoured Netaji if he had held divergent views from that of the present-day government.

    “The BJP has made a lot of effort to honour Netaji. With any politician, you have first to allow them to look at his/her interest. If Netaji was alive today and held a different view from that of the government, then the BJP would not have honoured him. =So (in this case) it is their interest that is served,” she said.

    The Trinamool Congress and BJP had locked horns to appropriate Netaji’s legacy on his 125th birth anniversary ahead of the assembly polls in 2021.

    In 2015, the West Bengal government released 64 files on the leader held by the home department.

    The Narendra Modi government at the Centre released 100 files on him the next year.

    After Independence, the Centre had formed three inquiry commissions to unravel the mystery of Netaji’s disappearance.

    Two of them — the Shah Nawaz Commission and Khosla Commission were formed by the Congress governments and concluded that Bose died in an air crash on August 18, 1945, soon after taking off from Taihoku airport in Taiwan.

    The third one — the Mukherjee Commission formed by the BJP-led NDA government said he did not.

  • ‘Is this decency?’: Mamata slams Centre’s invite via undersecy for Netaji statue unveiling 

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday criticised the Centre’s “lack of decency” in sending an invite to her through an undersecretary for the unveiling ceremony of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s statue in New Delhi.

    She asserted that she was “no servant” of the BJP-led dispensation.

    “I received a letter on Tuesday from someone at the undersecretary level, saying PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose statue at 7 pm and I should be there by 6 pm. Is this how you write to an elected chief minister? Am I a bonded labourer? “An undersecretary cannot write to a chief minister inviting her. Why didn’t the culture ministry write to me?” she stated.

    Banerjee also said that she decided against attending the programme and instead “garlanded the statue of Netaji in Kolkata”.

    Mamata Banerjee pays flower tribute to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s statue at Red Road, in Kolkata on Thursday. (Photo | PTI)

    “Is this decency? I didn’t go. I garlanded Netaji’s statue in Kolkata this afternoon and paid my respects,” she maintained.

    Sharing pictures of the garlanding, Banerjee said the freedom fighter continued to inspire the people of this country.

    “I paid my heartfelt tribute to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose before starting the day. He lives in our hearts and continues to inspire us, daily,” she wrote.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 28-ft statue of Bose at India Gate on Thursday.

    Earlier, Netaji’s nearly 80-year-old daughter Anita Bose Pfaff, who lives in Germany, had said that she, too, would not be able to attend the ceremony, having received the invitation on short notice.

    Pfaff also said that she would want to meet the PM to discuss ‘the conditions and procedures’ for bringing back Netaji’s remains to India from Renkoji Temple in Japan.

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday criticised the Centre’s “lack of decency” in sending an invite to her through an undersecretary for the unveiling ceremony of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s statue in New Delhi.

    She asserted that she was “no servant” of the BJP-led dispensation.

    “I received a letter on Tuesday from someone at the undersecretary level, saying PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose statue at 7 pm and I should be there by 6 pm. Is this how you write to an elected chief minister? Am I a bonded labourer? “An undersecretary cannot write to a chief minister inviting her. Why didn’t the culture ministry write to me?” she stated.

    Banerjee also said that she decided against attending the programme and instead “garlanded the statue of Netaji in Kolkata”.

    Mamata Banerjee pays flower tribute to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s statue at Red Road, in Kolkata on Thursday. (Photo | PTI)

    “Is this decency? I didn’t go. I garlanded Netaji’s statue in Kolkata this afternoon and paid my respects,” she maintained.

    Sharing pictures of the garlanding, Banerjee said the freedom fighter continued to inspire the people of this country.

    “I paid my heartfelt tribute to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose before starting the day. He lives in our hearts and continues to inspire us, daily,” she wrote.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 28-ft statue of Bose at India Gate on Thursday.

    Earlier, Netaji’s nearly 80-year-old daughter Anita Bose Pfaff, who lives in Germany, had said that she, too, would not be able to attend the ceremony, having received the invitation on short notice.

    Pfaff also said that she would want to meet the PM to discuss ‘the conditions and procedures’ for bringing back Netaji’s remains to India from Renkoji Temple in Japan.

  • Manipur Polls: Constituency with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose link seeks better deal for him

    Express News Service

    MOIRANG: Ibomcha Singh of Moirang in Manipur’s Bishnupur district is happy and sad at the same time.

    He is filled with pride that it was at Moirang the Tricolour was unfurled for the first time on April 14, 1944 by the Indian National Army (INA). He is sad because he feels the country has not given the charismatic INA leader Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose his dues.

    After Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a hologram statue of the freedom fighter in Delhi, Ibomcha was hoping the BJP will commit more considering elections in Manipur and Moirang’s special place in the history of India’s freedom struggle.

    “Neither the BJP nor the Congress had anything on Netaji in their election manifestos. I am sad,” the middle-aged man said.

    Other locals such as Kunjabihari Singh, K Inaocha Singh, Rajen Singh, Babina Devi and Ningthoujam Denny praised the Modi government for installing the hologram statue. At the same time, however, they insisted the government do more to recognise Netaji’s contributions.

    ALSO READ | ‘Firal Chingkhatpa’: Unique Manipuri ritual helps candidates assess their support base before polls

    “I feel proud that my shop is next to the INA memorial. Netaji was a great leader who had sacrificed his life for all of us but the country has not given him his dues,” Kunjabihari lamented.

    Inaocha heard from his grandfather that the locals fed the INA soldiers when they had arrived at Moirang during the Battle of Imphal in World War II.

    “They had come on foot from Burma (Myanmar). The people of Moirang then had no idea if the soldiers were Indians, Japanese but they fed them well,” he said.

    Both Inaocha and Kunjabihari felt the people of India could give a fitting tribute to Netaji by celebrating his birthday at every place.

    For the tourists visiting Manipur, Moirang is a favoured destination.

    It was a dream visit to Moirang for Dr Vinod Kumar who came from Kerala. He too felt Netaji did not get his dues. “The present government is doing something but he deserves more respect,” Kumar said.

    “Mahatma Gandhiji had a disagreement on his (Netaji’s) approach to secure freedom but it was more practical at that time as the British were very strong. I don’t think we could have won the battle through a peaceful movement,” he added.

    Denny, who accompanied Kumar, said, “I get inspired by Netaji’s heroics every time I visit the memorial. We, the Manipuris, prefer Netaji to Gandhiji. Our traits are similar to that of Netaji. We should give more credit to Netaji than to Gandhiji.”

    ALSO READ | Manipur polls: Bouquets and brickbats for ruling BJP

    The INA Memorial-cum-Museum is managed by the Manipur government. It has a collection of letters, photographs, badges of ranks and other war memorabilia which remind visitors of the sacrifices made by the INA soldiers.

    Moirang, meanwhile, will go to polls in the first phase on February 28. The constituency braces for a straight fight between Sharatchandra Singh of the Congress and M Prithviraj Singh of the BJP.

    Sharatchandra, the sitting MLA, had defected to the Congress recently after being denied a ticket by the BJP.

  • Romance, legacy of Subhas Chandra Bose’s ‘Azad Hind’ provisional government remain, though blurred by time

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Shakti Narayan, 77, sitting in the bedroom of his house in the city’s Kushtia suburb, listened intently to an old gramophone record playing  Shubh Sukh Chaina ki Barkha Barse’, the Hindustani language translation of  Jana Gana Mana’, which was the national anthem of the  Arzee Hukumat-I-Azad-Hind’ set up by legendary freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose on this date in war-torn Singapore, some 78 years ago.

    Narayan was barely a year-old when his father and many other Indians secretly tuned into radio broadcasts by the  Provisional Government of Free India’ as its small army progressed through the swampy forests of Myanmar towards Kohima and Imphal.

    It was eventually overwhelmed by larger allied forces after a series of valiant battles, putting an end to the Azad Hind government, which though not the only provisional government set up by an Indian freedom fighter, was the first which had an army and all the trappings of a state.

    However, the romance of a government formed abroad with its own army, currency, postal stamps, radio station, flag and anthem caught the imagination of generations hence, and its popular leader was catapulted to the role of a  soldier-statesman  in popular perception.

    Said Sumantra Bose, professor of international and comparative politics and Director of Netaji Bhavan, India’s freedom movement threw up a galaxy of leaders, foremost of them being Gandhi, whom Bose himself named the  Father of the Nation’. But only one of them, Subhas Bose, emerged as a soldier-statesman in the eyes of people. 

    The iconic statue of Bose that Kolkata Municipal Corporation commissioned sculptor Nagesh Yoglekar to make in the 1960s, and which stands at the five- point crossing in Kolkata’s busy Shyambazar area, has the popular freedom fighter dressed in the uniform of the Indian National Army, seated on a prancing horse.

    Bose, who had learnt horse riding as a young man, mostly drove cars during World War 2 when the Azad Hind government, which was modelled on the Irish and Czech provisional governments, was formed.

    However, this new narrative stuck and Indians discarded his earlier image  of a firebrand politician dressed in dhoti-kurta with a shawl stylishly swung across his shoulder. Garishly produced calendars with Bose dressed in military uniform hang from walls of roadside cafes and in many Kolkata homes side-by-side, with fading photographs of poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Goddess Kali. 

    His sobriquet  Netaji’ given by INA soldiers also overtook the Subhas  Babu’ commonly used to address him during his days as a Congress leader in the 1920s and 1930s.

    The Netaji Stadium, Netaji Sporting, Netaji Youth Club, Netaji Mess, Netaji Book Depot, colleges, roads and quarters named after  Netaji’ and not Subhas, dot the city, and make him a powerful larger-than-life icon, which most political parties vie to appropriate. 

    Forward Bloc, the party which he founded even though it is fading in an afterlife, exists in pockets of Bengal for the most part by clinging on to his legacy. 

    The Congress of which Bose was twice president and the party he was forced to quit, uses his name on its websites and podiums. 

    The BJP, whose predecessor Hindu Mahasabha’s ideology was often attacked by Bose as  communal , too, has tried to claim his legacy as has its arch-rival in Bengal   the Trinamool Congress.

    Even India’s Communists, who at one time famously called him a  Quisling  for having accepted the help of fascist governments in Germany and Japan, have not shied away from using his name or addressing him as  Netaji’.

    Well-known political commentator Sumit Mitra  Each political party uses one aspect of his or his Government’s ideology to suit their political need   more often than not other aspects of what he stood for are glossed over. 

    However, the legacy of his provisional government, which was mostly recognised by Axis powers and the President of the Irish Republic, really lies in thinking way ahead of its time, stressing the principle of secularism, women’s rights, and in helping break down caste and religious barriers at a time when society was stratified and conservative.

    If you look back from today’s perspective, how he (Bose) and his provisional government united all religious and linguistic groups by assuring equal rights, destroyed the British-created myth of martial races by recruiting from all classes of Indians, set up a women’s regiment, stopped caste-based kitchens.

    These were powerful, important legacies that were created,  said Sugata Bose, grandnephew of Subhas Bose and former MP, in an interview to PTI earlier this year.

    Agreed Ambassador TCA Raghavan, former High Commissioner to Singapore and Pakistan and author of several acclaimed popular contemporary history books,  Netaji and his provisional government set high standards of secular amity, which left a lasting impact. 

    Among true stories which have become part of Singapore’s folklore is that of Bose visiting the island’s famous Chettiar Temple set up by the rich mercantile community of emigres from Tamil Nadu, only after the orthodox community agreed to open up the temple to people of all religions and caste.

    The Chettiars wanted to donate to the INA war effort, but also desired that Subhas Bose visit the temple. He refused, complaining that the temple practiced orthodoxy and did not allow people of all castes and religion to enter.

    Ultimately, the temple authorities bowed down and urged him to visit with officers drawn intentionally from among Hindus, Muslims and Christians, setting an example of inclusiveness, explained Raghavan. 

    While these legacies may have been blurred with time, the statue at Kolkata’s Shyambazar, which is perpetually surrounded by a whirl of traffic and the strains of  Shubh Sukh , remain as symbols of the icon and the provisional government he set up, in the minds of most of his countrymen. 

  • Declare Subhas Chandra Bose birth anniversary national holiday: CM Mamata urges Centre 

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday paid homage to freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary and urged the Centre to declare January 23 as a national holiday.

    She also said a monument, named after Azad Hind Fauj, will be built in Rajarhat area and a state-funded university, which is also being set up, will be dedicated to Netaji.

    “…. This year’s Republic Day parade in Kolkata will be dedicated to Netaji. A siren will be sounded today at 12.15 PM. We urge everyone to blow shankh (conch) at home. Centre must also declare January 23 as a National Holiday.

    Homage to Deshnayak Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 125th birthday. He was a true leader & strongly believed in unity of all people.We are celebrating this day as #DeshNayakDibas. GoWB has also set up a committee to conduct year-long celebrations till January 23, 2022. (1/3)
    — Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) January 23, 2021

    “We are celebrating this day as #DeshNayakDibas. GoWB has also set up a committee to conduct year-long celebrations till January 23, 2022,” Banerjee said on Twitter.

    A grand ‘padayatra’ will be held here during the day to commemorate Netaji’s 125th birth anniversary.

    “A monument, named after Azad Hind Fauj, will be built at Rajarhat.

    A university named after Netaji is also being set up which shall be funded entirely by the state, and will have tie-ups with foreign universities,” she said on the microblogging site.

    The Centre has decided to observe January 23 as “Parakram Diwas” to commemorate the birth anniversary of Bose, who was born on this day in 1897.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be here later in the day to address “Parakram Diwas” celebrations to commemorate Bose’s birth anniversary.

  • PM Modi to head panel on commemoration of Netaji’s 125th birth anniversary.

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A high-level committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been formed for commemoration of the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the government said on Saturday.

    The committee will decide on the activities for a year-long commemoration, beginning on January 23, 2021, a statement from the Ministry of Culture said.

    The members of the committee include distinguished citizens, historians, authors, experts, family members of Subhas Chandra Bose, as well as eminent persons associated with the Azad Hind Fauj (INA).

    The committee will lend guidance to the commemoration activities in Delhi, Kolkata and other places associated with Netaji and the Azad Hind Fauj, both in India as well as overseas, the statement said.