Not many realise the importance of the role played by our very beloved “Netaji” Subhas Chandra Bose, but to devalue his contribution would be an absolute insult to his memory. His death mystery is still a conundrum and people are still oblivious to the reasons behind his death.
If we take a look at his contributions to the country, we might as well get a clear cut idea as to why people are so curious to know what happened to our “Netaji”.
For various political reason, his contributions will never be given the kind of importance it deserves by the authorities in our country. But just before the Quit India movement began, during the second world war time, Netaji saw it as a great opportunity to lash on the Britishers and kick them out of this country.
This was the time when there was no particular Freedom struggle going on in the country and Netaji requested the Indian National Congress led by Mahatma Gandhi to send an ultimatum to the Britishers to end colonialism and leave this country.
But his advice was averted and a couple of years later, he was ousted from INC. Later he became the head of Indian National Army and wanted to fight it out against the Britishers on the battle field. But Gandhiji announced the Quit India Movement, which eventually gifted us the freedom, but that was not the decisive factor behind us getting the freedom.
Mr BR Ambedkar, the person who has written the constitution of this country, believes that the Britishers were more scared of Netaji and he was the main reason behind us getting freedom. In an interview with BBC’s Francis Watson, Ambedkar revealed many things about Netaji that many people didnt know.
“I don’t know how Mr Attlee suddenly agreed to give India independence, That is a secret that he will disclose in his autobiography. None expected that he would do that,” said an amused Ambedkar.
“The national army that was raised by Subhas Chandra Bose. The British had been ruling the country in the firm belief that whatever may happen in the country or whatever the politicians do, they will never be able to change the loyalty of soldiers. That was one prop on which they were carrying on the administration. And that was completely dashed to pieces. They found that soldiers could be seduced to form a party — a battalion to blow off the British.” He added.
Many people like Lt General SK Sinha, former Governor of Jammu & Kashmir and Assam feared that another revolt would begin in 1946 just the way it happened in 1857.
Agreeing with this contention were a number of British MPs who met British Prime Minister Clement Attlee in February 1946. “There are two alternative ways of meeting this common desire (a) that we should arrange to get out, (b) that we should wait to be driven out. In regard to (b), the loyalty of the Indian Army is open to question; the INA have become national heroes…”
This pretty much explains the fear waves that the Indian Army had sent into the British Contingent and the kind of impact INA had under the leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose. But just when we were about to get what we deserved, he disappeared and never came back.
He must have died a long time back given he has survived from that horrific air crash, but there were no proper final rites ever given to the unsung hero, which indeed is quite disappointing.
