By Naba Bhattacharjee
The Union Government continues to dither on declaring Netaji’s Birthday on 23rd January as “Desh Prem Divas”, in spite of demand emanating from all corners of India. Netaji’s love of his country or Desh Prem came from the innermost recess of his heart. Netaji was not a restless dreamer but a dauntless performer. He observed “…… freedom means life, and death in the pursuit of freedom means glory imperishable”. Countless Indians discovered in him a beacon to dispel the clouds of darkness and guide them to freedom. He entrenched in his I.N.A. soldiers the realization that they were the pioneers of tomorrow’s dawn. As he has said in his Political Testament: “…no suffering, no sacrifice is ever futile. It is through suffering and sacrifice alone that a cause can flourish and prosper. One individual may die for an idea but that idea will, after his death, reincarnate itself in a thousand lives”.
There is no convincing statement as to why the Desh Prem Divas decision is kept at abeyance for a National Icon whom even Mahatma Gandhi proclaimed as “Patriot of Patriots”. This realization, albeit late, dawned upon him while experiencing the pangs of partition. There was total anarchy due to communal riots and deep religious fissure. Gandhiji was deeply distressed and shocked. He confided to his close associates how he wished Netaji was around, being confidant that the situation would not have reached such precarious proportions with Subash Bose at the helm of affairs. The Mahatma conceded that greatest achievement of Netaji was to gather together under the banner of I.N.A., men from all religions and races of India, and to infuse into them the spirit of solidarity and oneness to the exclusion of all communal or parochial sentiment, laying the foundation of secular India.
The British implanted the seeds of communal divide and succeeded in their design by exploiting the weakness for power at all cost exhibited by avaricious leaders, willing to carve out individual niches at the expense of dividing the country. The British were never comfortable with Netaji – a man of uncompromising principle and character who could never be manipulated to serve their nefarious designs – the infamous doctrine of “divide and rule”. Gandhi & Netaji had ideological differences but had mutual respect and admiration for each other on a personal level. Netaji was respectful to Gandhi but did not acquiesce to blind allegiance. It was India to whom he gave his allegiance; it was India that was his first love. He had a mind of his own with total commitment to full freedom – Purna Swaraj, without dilution and absolute confidence in his chartered course towards attainment of freedom. His resignation as Congress President in 1938 after defeating Gandhiji’s candidate in an open election was primarily to avoid a split in the Congress. He had the majority with him but felt his opting out was imperative for a greater cause – freedom. “If I do not resign Congress may be divided into two and if it be so, it would weaken the freedom struggle to a great extent”. In historical terms, if Gandhi was the Father of Indian Awakening then Bose the Father of Indian Revolution. Lord Clement Atlee the British Prime Minister during whose tenure India gained independence conceded unambiguously that erosion of loyalty to the British Crown among the Indian army & navy due to the military activities of Netaji necessitated a hasty British departure. According to him the civil disobedience movement had minimal impact on the decision. Even though Netaji passed out of India’s history more than half a century ago, many of his principles and ideas are modern even by today’s standards.
The India that we have today is not the India that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose worked, fought battles across the world and sacrificed his life for. The youth of India, for their own sake and for the emancipation of the land of their birth, must re-discover Subhash Chandra Bose. We can all but wish that more people in India would embrace many of these principles: the tolerance for others, the importance of the role of women and of the down-trodden classes, the fierce belief and love in India and its people. Subhash Chandra, accepted the land of his birth as the Holy Land completely prepared to sacrifice his all; even life itself, for her deliverance. Netaji, reflected a rare combination of idealism and realism which constitutes the essence of leadership and which was the secret of his greatness.
The question is whether the attitude of our leaders then and now wants Indians to keep embedded in their hearts his perennial message of love, hope, freedom and sacrifice or deliberately obliterate his memory particularly from the heart and mind of the young generation? The indications are most disheartening. Year after year, without any proof whatsoever it has been repeatedly declared that Netaji was killed in the air crash of 1945. Netaji had not died in the air crash as our countrymen have falsely been given to believe. The truth has been revealed now by the Justice Manoj Mukherji Commission, constituted by Government of India to enquire into Netaji’s disappearance. The Commission has proved with concrete facts and figures that no air crash occurred on 18th August, 1945 – a fact confirmed in writing by Taiwan government that no air crash occurred 6 months prior or subsequent to that date and year. In fact Gandhiji, Maulana Azad and others too had sent in their condolences. The Report also stated that the story about Netaji’s ashes placed in the Renkoji temple in Japan were also fictitious by providing supporting relevant documents in support of their statements. The central government instead of placing the commission report in Parliament continues with the false propaganda that Netaji actually died in the air crash. The thoughts and attitude of the Central Government towards Netaji is most unfortunate & lamentable. Without any valid explanation the Central Government has just discarded the Report of this Commission. But this time also Netaji’s innumerable followers refused to take things lying. Some lawyers put up a Public Interest Litigation at the Kolkata High Court against this authoritarian decision by the Central Government and pleading that Justice Manoj Mukherji is permitted to place supporting facts and documents to counter the points on the basis of which his report has been rejected. The Union government in spite of being penalized has failed to respond to the High Court directive asking for a justifiable reply on the issue. What is the fear and compulsion in making the report public? Who are the people which the government is trying to shield and from what? Was Netaji eliminated by political rivals? All these and many more questions are screaming for an answer. (Author is President, Azad Hind Volunteers (Meghalaya Chapter) & President Netaji Birhday Celebration Committee)