Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to claim the legacy of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose by unfurling the Tricolour at the Red Fort on Sunday to mark the 75th anniversary of the “Azad Hind government”, while taking a swipe at the Nehru-Gandhi family.
It’s rare for a Prime Minister to hoist the national flag at the Red Fort on a date other than August 15, and BJP leaders hoped Modi’s tribute to Bose would have an impact on the party’s fortunes in Bengal.
Modi also sought to use the opportunity to promote the BJP’s brand of martial nationalism, announcing a police award in Netaji’s name and claiming that his government was fulfilling Bose’s dream of a strong army.
“Several good sons of the soil like Netaji, Vallabhbhai Patel and Babasaheb Ambedkar were neglected in favour of one family,” Modi said, addressing the event at the Red Fort.
He targeted the country’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, without naming him, claiming that post-Independence India’s policymakers saw the country through “British glasses” to the detriment of the people.
“It is unfortunate that people who formulated policies after Independence saw India through British glasses. Our tradition, culture, languages and education system suffered because of this,” Modi said.
“Today I can say with certainty that had the country received guidance from leaders like Subhasbabu and Sardar Patel in the post-Independence decades, things would have been different…. I bow before the parents of Subhasbabu for gifting the country a leader like him.”
The iconic image of Netaji sporting the cap. INA veteran Lalti Ram presented a cap to the Prime Minister before Modi hoisted the Tricolour at the Red Fort. The Telegraph file picture
Sunday’s event commemorated Bose’s announcement in Singapore on October 21, 1943, about the establishment of a “Provisional Government of Free India (Azad Hind)”.
The event is also being seen as an attempt by Modi to lay claim to Bose’s legacy after similar attempts to appropriate the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar and Vallabhbhai Patel.Donning a cap associated with the INA, Modi announced that a national award would be given every year in Bose’s name to police personnel who do exemplary work during any disaster. He said the award would be announced on January 23, Bose’s birthday.
He said his government was fulfilling Bose’s dream of a strong army. He said the Indian Army was one of the strongest in the world today and that his government had taken decisions to boost its morale, citing the “surgical strikes”, among other things.
The Prime Minister said that while the Congress had neglected the legacies and contributions of leaders like Bose, his government was committed to giving due credit to every freedom fighter. He highlighted how his government had declassified and released official files on Bose.
Modi said that Bose understood the eastern region’s importance to the freedom struggle. He said his own government had focused on the region, which he accused its predecessors of neglecting.He stressed that even as chief minister of Gujarat he had organised events to accord due respect to Bose.
Modi said Bose had cautioned the country against (British) efforts to “divide and rule” and suggested the danger was present even today.
Earlier in the day, Modi had dedicated a police memorial to the nation, while attacking the UPA government for its failure to build the monument during its term.
