Unravel mystery over Netaji

The official version of Netaji's death in an air crash is without much conviction. Accordingly, the nation is anxious to know the exact truth surrounding his sudden disappearance in 1945. If the theory of death in air crash is foolproof, why so many files on Netaji were classified from 'Secret' to 'Top Secret' by the Nehru government? Netaji's twin mission in life i.e, to fight the British Imperialism on the one hand and the Gandhian dominance in the Congress on the other must have naturally enraged Nehru for he was Gandhi's unwavering follower through thick and thin.

Kurished Naoroji, grand-daughter of Dadabhai Naoroji, once spoke thus- “If Bose entered India at the head of an Indian Army, he could rally the whole country.” What she meant was that Bose was more popular than Nehru. On the 50th anniversary of India's independence, the voices of Gandhi, Nehru and Bose were played at a special midnight session of India's Parliament and it was Bose who drew the “loudest and longest” applause. Bose's great popularity stirred up jealousy in Nehru so much that he chose to consider him as his rival.

There is no surprise when the recently declassified Netaji files disclosed that Netaji kin were spied upon by the government from 1948 to 1968. During the material period, Nehru remained at the helm of affairs until 1966 and it was only two years later, the scooping on Netaji's family was rescinded. The Congress party's contention that the spying continued even after Nehru's rule is without logic. Vital governmental practices as these will not cease suddenly with a mere change in the incumbency. The new incumbent can only allow it to peter out. The opposition is also taking the names of Vallabhbhai Patel, Lal Bahadur Sastry etc as parties to this sordid event. Viewed against their neutrality and equity, they are the last persons to indulge in such abhorrent activities. Furthermore, it is not correct to say that all iconic leaders of Congress had cordial relations with Nehru. For instance, Patel once told a group of MPs in a jovial mood that there was only one nationalist Muslim in India. When asked who it was, Patel quipped: “Maulana Nehru.” When asked by a journalist who would succeed Nehru, Sastry was quoted as saying, “Un ka man me unka bete rahta. Aur koi rahta?” Congress instead of persisting to harp on the theme that theirs is the only legacy of the then Indian National Congress should join the chorus to demand declassification of all the secret files of Netaji.

D V Sankara Rao

Out with the truth

Call it deiconisation or denigration of such national icons as Nehru, Patel, Lal Bahudur Shastri, Rajaji et al or term it as the hidden agenda of the RSS to defame and defang the Congress party or label it as the ulterior motive of the BJP to exhume the history of India and show to the world the grossest disservice to such gigantic martyrs as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose by a dynasty-driven Congress party and malign all its leaders. Truth must be brought out, however unpalatable it is. Let the billon plus people of India sit in judgment on the contributions of national icons and not the servile and spineless spokespersons of the political parties.

A galaxy of great leaders of various parties other than those of the Congress party, who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of India, is still eclipsed beyond the ken of patriotic masses. What a shame and what a desecration of their sacred memories! Let the Congress party realize that mere surveillance on Netaji’s family does not diminish the abiding love and respect of millions of Indians for the legend that Netaji was in the history of India. Netaji’s stature is no less than that of Gandhiji, Nehru, Hochiminh, Mao, Castro or Lenin

S M Kompella