Nehru’s game The ‘great’ Prime Minister of India had tried to place a ban on hanging Netaji’s portraits in public places, including offices and army mess halls. In a confidential memo, dated February 11, 1949 and undersigned by Major General P N Khandoori, the government recommended: “The photos of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose be not displayed at prominent places, Unit Lines, Canteens, Quarter Guards, or Recreation Rooms.” In her book on Netaji, Lt. Manwati Arya says that during her talks in All India Radio (AIR), she was always briefed by her programme producers, without fail, about the national policy against any reference of the INA, including the name of Netaji, in her discourse on AIR. All these actions were to be expected from Nehru, a Prime Minister heavily favoured by the British. At the same time, he had no legacy to project himself as a proud freedom fighter. Nehru had succeeded in getting support for his anti-Netaji policies even from Netaji’s comrades in INA, like Shah Nawaz Khan and S A Ayer. Many historians are of the opinion that INA comrades had betrayed Netaji for high-profile positions offered by Nehru in the then government. For the record, Shah Nawaz Khan was the Chairman of the National Inquiry Committee (NIC) constituted by Nehru in 1956. Netaji with Mohandas Gandhi, Image courtesy Wikipedia The national hero Who is the real man behind India’s freedom? This question remains controversial to this day. Many eminent historians had neglected the over-exaggerated projection of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi as the father of modern India. Dr R C Majumdar in his book, History of the Freedom Movement in India (1948), put forward: “The honour and esteem with which every Indian regarded the members of the INA, offered a striking contrast to the ill-concealed disgust and contempt for those sepoys (soldiers) who refused to join the INA and remained true to their so-called salt. The British came to realise that they were sitting on the brink of a volcano which may erupt at any moment. It is highly probable that this consideration played an important role in their final decision to quit India in 1947. So, the members of the INA did not die or suffer in vain, and their leader Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose has secured a place of honour in the history of India’s struggle for freedom.” In the same book, Majumdar bluntly states that “the contribution made by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose towards the achievement of freedom in 1947 was no less, and, perhaps, far more important than that of Mohandas Gandhi, and I hope true historians and all lovers of truth now accept this view.” From the horse’s mouth Clement Attlee was the Prime Minister of Britain when India got freedom in 1947. Obviously, his words on Netaji hold relevance and assume great significance in any context. Attlee had visited Kolkata when P B Chakraborti was the Acting Governor of West Bengal. The following are the words selected from Chakraborty’s thanks note (dated March 30, 1976) for the publication of Dr R C Majumdar’s book.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 17:53:05 +0000
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