Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s popularity and Indians in the British armed forces joining the Indian National Army (INA) during the World War II was the primary reason why the colonial powers granted independence to the county but the great leader’s contribution has been largely ignored in books written on freedom struggle by the left historians, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here on Monday.
Indian members of the British army did not support the Congress in the freedom struggle but as disciplined soldiers had supported the British but they had a change of heart when they came to know about Netaji’s efforts to set up the INA and many of their former colleagues, particularly those in Singapore, joining it, Sarma said at a programme organised to mark the 127th birth anniversary here.
Many Indian members of the British navy and army, however, revolted during the Red Fort trial of INA members when they realised ”what are we doing….when our colleagues have sacrificed so much, we have remained faithful to the British”, Sarma said.
”It was when the Indians in their armed forces revolted that the British realised that they would have to grant independence. This has been mentioned by the then British Prime Minister Clement Atlee to the first Indian Chief Justice P V Chakravartti when the former visited Calcutta in 1956”, the Chief Minister pointed out.
In reply to Chakravartti’s curiosity to know what influenced the British to grant independence to India, Clement had replied that it was Subhas Chandra Bose’s ”popularity and the Indian’s in the British army joining the INA” which finds a mention in the late Chief justice’s book ‘History of Bengal”, Sarma said.
Atlee had said that when the Indian army jawans did not support the British, they realised that they could stay in India any more.
”This was possible only due to the efforts and sacrifices of Netaji but the historians, mostly those following the Left ideology, who wrote the history of independence have not mentioned this and kept his contribution away from the people”, the Chief Minister said.
It was Netaji who had taken India’s freedom struggle to the international level during the Second World War by letting the world know how the British had colonised the country, Sarma pointed out.
”His exemplary patriotism and immense sacrifices as reflected in his submarine journey from Germany to Japan must be an inspiration for the new generation”, he said.
History, however, has not done proper justice to him and the ”time has come to do a deep and insightful analysis of his contributions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking the initiative in this direction”, he said.
Netaji and his family’s contribution towards Assam is also immense which people are not aware of and must come to the fore, he said.
Netaji, however, is not Bengal or Assam’s pride alone but of the whole country and his ideals must be followed by all, Sarma added.
