KOLKATA: The members of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's family on Thursday accused a Delhi based non-profit organisation Mission Netaji of running a "sinister campaign" to taint the image of revered freedom fighter by claiming that Netaji - as Bose is fondly called - lived in Uttar Pradesh as a hermit named Gumnami Baba.

Urging the Central government to release all Intelligence Bureau (IB) files on Netaji, BJP leader and Bose`s grand nephew Chandra Kumar Bose told IANS that it was a "criminal offence" to term Gumnami Baba as Netaji in disguise without any credible proof.

"I am sorry to say that Mission Netaji has not just betrayed the Bose family but the entire nation and the honourable Prime Minister. Because without any documentary or photographic evidence, one cannot arrive at the conclusion that Gumnami Baba of Uttar Pradesh`s Faizabad was Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in disguise," Chandra was quoted as saying by IANS.

"We demand that the government of India and the Uttar Pradesh government release the Intelligence Bureau files that might be there on Gumnami Baba before the Lok Sabha elections. That would reveal the identity of this anonymous person. I am sure that the Prime Minister would positively respond to this," he added.

Lashing out at Anuj Dhar and Chandrachur Ghose, the founder-trustee members of Mission Netaji, Chandra said that the duo has betrayed the nation by writing false things in their yet to be released book in which they claimed that Gumnami Baba was actually Netaji in disguise.

He also slammed director Srijit Mukherjee, who is helming a film titled 'Gumnami', for claiming that he would portray Netaji as the "penniless recluse" in his upcoming film.

"I want to know who are the people supporting this distortion and who are funding Mission Netaji to spread such falsehood to taint and derogate Netaji`s image? Who are these traitors? We appeal to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to start an inquiry by the IB," he said.

(with IANS inputs)

NEW DELHI: On Thursday (January 23), an indebted nation and millions of countrymen are paying homage to Subhas Chandra Bose, who is considered as the most iconic and influential freedom fighters of India, on his 123rd birthday. Bose, who is also referred to as 'Netaji' for his extraordinary leadership skills, is regarded by the world and his ardent admirers as a charismatic orator. 

On January 23 every year, people from across the country pay their tribute to the iconic leader whose famous slogans ‘tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aazdi dunga,’ 'Jai Hind' and 'Delhi Chalo' sparked patriotism in the hearts of many Indians during the struggle for freedom from the British Raj. 

Netaji's birth anniversary, the mass acknowledgement of which was mostly restricted to the eastern states, was made a national phenomenon last year when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a museum dedicated to Subhas Chandra Bose at the iconic Red Fort to mark his 122nd birth anniversary. The museum inaugurated by PM Modi dedicated to the legendary freedom fighter and his Indian National Army showcased various artefacts related to Bose. 

A wooden chair and sword used by Bose, his medals, uniforms, badges were put on display that day in the Bose Museum. On the same day, the PM inaugurated the Yaad-e-Jallian Museum (dedicated to Jallianwala Bagh and World War I), the Museum on 1857 - India's first war of Independence, and Drishyakala - Indian art-based Museum within the Red Fort complex. 

Altogether, the PM spent nearly an hour at the museums last year. 

A few months ahead of that in October 2018, PM Modi also hoisted the national flag at Red Fort and had unveiled the plaque commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the formation of Azad Hind Government, formed by "Netaji". 

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In 2018, the PM had also renamed 3 Andaman & Nicobar Islands as a tribute to Netaji. The Ross Island was renamed as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep, the Neil Island as Shaheed Dweep and Havelock Island as Swaraj Dweep.

But come 2020, the enthusiasm appears to be missing. According to the Press Information Bureau, there is no major event scheduled by the Ministry of Culture or, for that matter, any ministry on January 23, the birth anniversary of Bose, on him.

According to party sources, the BJP at the moment is fully focussed on its campaign for the upcoming Delhi assembly election, which begins from Thursday itself. Interestingly, the party, which released its list of star campaigners on Wednesday, wants to hit the campaign trail with a bang with over 140 small and medium rallies in Delhi.

Amid all this, BJP's West Bengal Vice President and Netaji's grandson Chandra Kumar Bose had demanded that January 23rd be declared as 'Patriot’s Day' commemorating the birthday of the iconic freedom fighter.

"There should be some event on Bose. If you ignore him, you ignore the nation. That is my message to the Prime Minister," Bose said. Chandra Bose said that if the Centre doesn’t declare January 23 as Patriots Day, people across the nation who respect Netaji will all observe Patriot’s Day. 

This apart, he said Mohammad Ali Jinnah was a secular person but Pandit Nehru and Gandhiji were communal persons. He even said people should say ''Jai Hind'' and not ''Bharat Mata ki Jai''. Bose said that he is not against saying ''Bharat Mata ki Jai'' but people should say Jai Hind as it is more powerful. However, he added that the BJP-led NDA government has recognised Bose's immense contribution.

On December 2, the Government of India (GoI)  de-classified all records relating to Netaji and Azad Hind Fauj and placed them in the National Archives of India. A press release from the Press Information Bureau stated that a total of 304 declassified records and files have been transferred to National Archives of India for permanent retention.

Out of 304 files, 303 files are already uploaded on the Netaji web portal i.e. www.netajipapers.gov.in. The National Archives of India acts as the custodian of declassified files and records of the Government of India. All these files are made public under the Public Records Rules,1997. 

(With Agency inputs)

Millions of Indians are paying homage to Subhash Chandra Bose, who is considered as the most iconic and influential freedom fighters of India, on his 123rd birthday on Thursday (January 23). Bose, who is fondly called 'Netaji' for his extraordinary leadership skills, is regarded by the world and his ardent admirers as a charismatic orator. 

On January 23 every year, people from across the country pay their tribute to Netaji who played an important role in sparking patriotism in the hearts of many Indians during the struggle for freedom from the British Raj. 

On Bose's 123rd birth anniversary, also called Netaji Jayanti, here are some most popular slogans from the national leader.

1. Tum Mujhe Khoon Do, Main Tumhe Azadi Doonga (Give me blood and I will give you freedom!)

2. India is calling. Blood is calling to blood. Get up, we have no time to lose. Take up your arms ! we shall carve our way through the enemy's ranks, or if God wills, we shall die a martyr's death. And in our last sleep we shall kiss the road that will bring our Army to Delhi.

3. One individual may die for an idea, but that idea will, after his death, incarnate itself in a thousand lives.

4. When we stand, the Azad Hind Fauj has to be like a wall of granite; when we march, the Azad Hind Fauj has to be like a steamroller.

5. Life loses half its interest if there is no struggle-if there are no risks to be taken.

6. Reality is, after all, too big for our frail understanding to fully comprehend. Nevertheless, we have to build our life on the theory which contains the maximum truth.

7. We cannot sit still because we cannot, or do not, know the Absolute Truth.

8. Freedom is not given - it is taken.

9. The secret of political bargaining is to look more strong than what you really are.

10. Soldiers who always remain faithful to their nation, who are always prepared to sacrifice their lives, are invincible.

New Delhi: Subhas Chandra Bose, who is popularly known as Netaji-, is one of the most celebrated freedom fighters of India. The country on Thursday (January 23) celebrates his 124th birth anniversary. Netaji was born on this day in 1897, in Cuttack, Odisha, which was then a division of Bengal Province under British India, to Prabhavati Dutt Bose and Janakinath Bose. 

The ninth of 14 children in his family, Subhas Chandra Bose earned BA in Philosophy from Scottish Church College, Calcutta. In 1919, Bose headed to London to take the Indian Civil Services (ICS) examination and stood at the fourth position, but he resigned citing the reason that he could not side with the British.

In 1921, Bose worked under Chittaranjan Das, a powerful politician in Bengal, and later started his own newspaper, Swaraj. In 1923, Bose was elected the President of the All India Youth Congress and also the Secretary of Bengal State Congress. 

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During the mid-1930s, Bose visited Europe, where he met Indian students and European politicians, including Benito Mussolini. When he returned to India, he got elected as President of Congress party in 1938. Bose later resigned from the Congress party's top post due to differences with Mahatma Gandhi and formed All India Forward Bloc.

Bose gave a call for a mass civil disobedience after the then Viceroy of India Lord Linlithgow declared that India will join the Second World War aw part of the Allied Alliance without taking into confidence the Congress leaders. After Gandhiji decided against supporting Bose's agitation, he started protest in Kolkata (then Calcutta) for the 'Holwell Monument'. He was first jained by the British, but released after he wentr on a seven-day hunger strike. He wss the kept under surveillance by the CID.

However, he managed to escape to Germany via Afghanistan and the Soviet Union in 1941 after catching a train from Gomoh station in Jharkhand (then Bihar). In 1943, Netaji traveled to Tokyo, Japan via submarines and formed a trained army of about 40,000 troops as the Indian National Army, which was first formed under Mohan Singh and Japanese Major Iwaichi Fujiwara. The INA comprised Indian prisoners of war of the British-Indian Army captured by Japan in the Malayan campaign and in Singapore. 

In 1943, Netaji advanced to Rangoon, Myanmar after the capture of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, to make his way into India through Kohima and the plains of Imphal. The British Indian Army, however, retaliated to free Manipur, Kohima, and Imphal and killed almost half of the Japanese forces along with INA contingent in 1945.

The INA had to surrender and Netaji escaped to Manchuria. Bose is said to have died from severe burn injuries as his plane crashed in Taiwan on 18th August 1945. Netaji's death is considered to be a mystery as some still believe that he managed to escape, and did not die in the plane crash.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, whose ashes are stored at the Renkōji Temple in Tokyo, will always be remembered for his sacrifices.

Subhas Chandra Bose temple in Varanasi 

A temple built in the name of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose will be inaugurated by senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar at Subhash Bhawan on Azad Hind Marg, Varanasi on Thursday.

Citing sources, an IANS report said that the temple will have a Dalit woman as the chief priest and the morning `aarti` will be held with a prayer to Bharat Mata.

The temple is located in the front yard of the Subhas Bhawan and has a life-size black granite statue of Subhas Chandra Bose. The stairs around the temple are painted in red and white.

The significance of the Subhas temple in Varanasi lies in the fact that the holy city has a large Bengali population. 

Jharkhand declares Netaji birthday as public holiday 

The Jharkhand government has declared January 23 as a public holiday to mark the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, five years after it was dropped from the list of holidays in the state.

The day was removed from the list of holidays between 2015 and 2019, though 'Netaji Jayanti' had been a holiday till 2014, an official release said here.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren, during a review meeting on Tuesday, ordered that January 23 be declared a public holiday, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a press release.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (January 23) paid glowing tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 123rd birth anniversary and said that the nation will always remain grateful to him for his unmatched bravery and indelible contribution to resisting colonialism. The prime minister hailed Netaji for standing up for the progress and well-being of Indians during British rule.

"India will always remain grateful to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose for his bravery and indelible contribution to resisting colonialism. He stood up for the progress and well-being of his fellow Indians," tweeted PM Modi.

India will always remain grateful to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose for his bravery and indelible contribution to resisting colonialism. He stood up for the progress and well-being of his fellow Indians. pic.twitter.com/otUlFanULs

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 23, 2020

The prime minister also remembered Netaji's father Janakinath Bose and said that on January 23, 1897, he wrote in his diary, “A son was born at midday.” This son later became a fealress freedom fighter and thinker who devoted his life for India’s freedom. 

"On 23rd January 1897, Janakinath Bose wrote in his diary, “A son was born at midday.” This son became a valorous freedom fighter and thinker who devoted his life towards one great cause- India’s freedom.  I refer to Netaji Bose, who we proudly remember on his Jayanti today," said the prime minister.

On 23rd January 1897, Janakinath Bose wrote in his diary, “A son was born at midday.”

This son became a valorous freedom fighter and thinker who devoted his life towards one great cause- India’s freedom.

I refer to Netaji Bose, who we proudly remember on his Jayanti today. pic.twitter.com/wp3UjudKJ4

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 23, 2020

On January 23 every year, people from across the country pay their tribute to the iconic leader whose famous slogans ‘tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aazdi dunga,’ 'Jai Hind' and 'Delhi Chalo' sparked patriotism in the hearts of many Indians during the struggle for freedom from the British Raj. 

Netaji's birth anniversary, the mass acknowledgement of which was mostly restricted to the eastern states, was made a national phenomenon last year when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a museum dedicated to Subhas Chandra Bose at the iconic Red Fort to mark his 122nd birth anniversary. The museum inaugurated by PM Modi dedicated to the legendary freedom fighter and his Indian National Army showcased various artefacts related to Bose.

New Delhi: Subhas Chandra Bose, popularly known as Netaji, is one of the most celebrated freedom fighters of India. India on Thursday (January 23) is celebrating Netaji's 123rd birth anniversary. He was born in Cuttack, Odisha to Prabhavati Dutt Bose and Janakinath Bose. 

Every year on this day, people across the country pay their tributes to the iconic freedom fighter whose famous slogans like 'Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aazdi dunga', 'Jai Hind' and 'Delhi Chalo' sparked patriotism in the hearts of many Indians during the freedom struggle. 

On his birth anniversary, let's have a look at how the film fraternity has paid its tribute to Netaji through movies based on the freedom fighter.

'Subhas Chandra', 1966

This film narrates the story of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose from a child to a patriotic leader. It was directed by Piyush Bose and made in Bengali. 'Subhas Chandra' starred actors like Amar Dutta, Samar Chatterjee, Ashish Ghosh among others. Ashish Ghose played the role of Netaji. 

'Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero', 2004

Directed by Shyam Benegal, 'Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero', featured actors like Sachin Khedekar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Rajit Kapur, Arif Zakaria and Divya Dutta. The film is about the last five years of Netaji's life and how he formed the Azad Hind Fauj. Sachin Khedekar played the role of Subhas Chandra Bose.

'Ami Shubhash Bolchi', 2011

Bengali film 'Ami Shubhash Bolchi' starred Mithun Chakraborty, Saheb Bhattacharya, Laboni Sarkar, Karan Aanand, Barkha Bisht and Anindya Banerjee. The powerful was directed by Mahesh Manjrekar and told the story of a common man, who is inspired by Netaji's ideologies and becomes a hero among the masses.

'Bose: Dead/Alive', 2017

The web series, headlined by Rajkummar Rao, explored the journey of Subhas Chandra Bose from being an introvert to a brave nationalist. It also shows the plane crash in which Netaji was presumed dead. 

'Gumnaami', 2019

Srijit Mukherji's Bengali film 'Gumnaami' is based on a mysterious sadhu, Gumnaami Baba, from Faizabad whom some claimed to be Netaji. A section of the people believed that Bose did not die in a plane crash in 1945 and resurfaced as Gumnani Baba in Faizabad later on.

The mystery over the death of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the question if Bose is in fact Gumnami Baba continues even after several decades of India's independence. While many people believe that he died in a plane crash in 1945, others argue that Bose took the guise of Gumnami Baba and lived in Uttar Pradesh till 1985.

Several researchers and scholars believe that Gumnami Baba is in fact Netaji, however, this has not been confirmed by the government so far, nor any concrete evidence has emerged on this matter. Gumnami Baba, who lived in Ram Bhavan in UP's Ayodhya, in his last years, had many similar qualities to that of Netaji--his voice, knowledge, music, cigars, Bengali food are all similar to Netaji.

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Seeing the demand of the public, the Akhilesh Yadav government had formed the Justice Vishnu Sahai Commission in 2016 after the order of Allahabad High Court for the investigation report of Gumnami Baba.

The main task of the Commission was to find out what is the real identity of Gumnami Baba. After three years, the Commission presented its report in the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha which the government has accepted. The Yogi Adityanath government has made the report public and stated that the commission couldn't identify Gumnami Baba alias Bhagwan Ji, however, the Commission has drawn several conclusions about Gumnami Baba.

They are--1) Gumnami Baba was a Bengali and he knew Bangla, English and Hindi, 2) He was extraordinarily talented, 3) Books in Bengali, English and Hindi have been recovered from Gumnami Baba's Ram Bhavan, 4) Gumnami Baba had a deep knowledge of war, politics and current affairs, 5) The voice of Gumnami Baba had a sense of authority like the voice of Netaji,
6) Gumnami Baba had as great will and patience, 7) In Ayodhya, he didn't appear in the public sphere for 10 years, 8) Those who used to listen to Gumnami Baba from behind the scenes were hypnotized, 9) Gumnami Baba used to spend time in worship and meditation, 10) He was a lover of music, cigars and food, and 11) Gumnami Baba was a follower of Netaji but the moment it started circulating that he was Netaji he immediately changed his house.

The Sahai Commission report, in its conclusion, has written that Gumnami Baba was a brilliant man and people like him are very rare, who prefer death instead of revealing the secret of their identity. But his funeral was organized in such a way that only 13 persons could attend it. The identity of Baba Baba still remains anonymous. 

Reacting to the Sahai Commission report, author Anuj Dhar said, "We totally dismiss the Vishnu Sahai Commission's report. They just found a letter by a lady who they interpreted that it was not written to Gumnami Baba. Later, a newspaper did a story on the same where the lady confessed to having written the letter to Gumnami baba identifying him as Netaji. They have concluded in the report that Gumnami Baba is not Netaji, then I want to ask them who then is Gumnami Baba? Kindly clear the identity of Gumnami Baba who he was?"

Dhar, who has written several books on Netaji also added, "This report is completely in contrast to the Mukherjee commission's report. In that report, it was said that Gumnami Baba was Netaji and enough evidence has been shown to prove that he is Gumnami Baba. We have time and again written to the UP government, but they have not even acknowledged our mails. There were certain documents that we demanded from the CIA which they provided and we forwarded it to the UP government, but they have still haven't written back to us."

The author is also the founder of an organisation, Mission Netaji, which campaigns for the declassification of documents concerning Bose.

Centre takes a decision to form a committee under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Modi.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's birth anniversary will be celebrated every year as 'Parakram Divas'. The Center on Tuesday announced with pride that Netaji's indomitable valour and selfless dedication to the nation will be remembered on the annual celebration of 23 January.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kolkata on January 23 to address the 'Parakram Diwas' function to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. In this video, see what preparations have been made to welcome PM Modi.

Subhash Chandra Bose rose from the Congress party's ranks and became Congress President twice in 1938 at Haripura Congress and in 1939 at Tripuri Congress. In 1939, for the first time, Gandhiji's unchallenged and unbroken hold on the Congress for over two decades was seriously brought into question.

General GD Bakshi quoted former British Prime Minister Clement Attlee as saying that Bose's Indian National Army (INA) played a more important role than Gandhi to bring "independence to India" from the British, even rejected Gandhi's non-violence because it had "minimal impact."

Subhash Chandra Bose rose from the Congress party's ranks and became Congress President twice in 1938 at Haripura Congress and in 1939 at Tripuri Congress. In 1939, for the first time, Gandhiji's unchallenged and unbroken hold on the Congress for over two decades was seriously brought into question.

India is celebrating the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945) today, who is remembered as one of the most revered Indian freedom fighters. To commemorate Bose’s contributions and dedication to the country, the Centre announced on Tuesday that his birth anniversary will be celebrated as Parakram Diwas (day of valour). As a tribute to Subhash Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary, we present you with unknown and interesting facts about the iconic freedom fighter.

New Delhi: To mark the 125th birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil the hologram statue of Netaji at India Gate today (January 23). With this, in a first, India will begin Republic Day celebrations from January 23 instead of January 24.  

Leaders across the political spectrum are remembering Netaji today for his valour and struggle in the fight for India’s freedom. Here are some facts from Bose’s life to recall on his birth anniversary. 

1. Subhas Chandra Bose was born on January 23, 1897 in Odisha’s Cuttack. His parents were Janaki Nath Bose, a famous lawyer, and Prabhavati Devi. 

2. Netaji revived the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) on October 21, 1943, to overthrow British Empire from India. It was first established in 1942 by Mohan Singh. 

3. He graduated with a First Class in Philosophy from the Scottish Churches College in Calcutta. Bose was highly inspired by Swami Vivekananda's teachings. 

4. Subhas Chandra Bose, who went to England in 1919 to compete for Indian Civil Services, was affected by the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre, due to which he left his Civil Services apprenticeship midway to return to India in 1921.

5. Post his return, Bose was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and joined the Indian National Congress (INC). 

6. After falling out with Gandhi on several issues, Bose in January 1941 escaped from his Calcutta residence in disguise and reached Germany in April that year. 

7. In July 1943, he arrived in Singapore from Germany, where he took over the reins of the Indian Independence Movement in East Asia from Rash Behari Bose. Subhas Chandra Bose organised the Azad Hind Fauj comprising mainly of Indian prisoners of war and was hailed as Netaji by the Army as well as by the Indian population in East Asia. 

8. Subhas Chandra Bose was reportedly killed in a plane crash over Taipeh, Taiwan (Formosa) on August 18, 1945. However, till date, his death remains a mystery for many.  

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New Delhi: Remembering Subhas Chandra Bose on his 125th birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (January 23) paid floral tributes to Netaji in the Central Hall of Parliament in Delhi. 

Taking to Twitter earlier today, PM Modi said everyone is proud of Netaji’s contribution to the nation. "Wishing all the countrymen a very Happy Parakram Diwas. My respectful tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 125th birth anniversary. I bow to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his Jayanti. Every Indian is proud of his monumental contribution to our nation," he tweeted. 

Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers tribute to Netaji #SubhasChandraBose on his 125th birth anniversary in the Central Hall, Parliament House pic.twitter.com/nibRmuypLc

— ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2022

Last year, the central government had declared January 23 as Parakram Diwas to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

Several other leaders including Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai, Tamil Nadu Health Minister MA Subramanian and Union Minister Anurag Thakur also paid homage to Netaji. 

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai offers tribute to Netaji #SubhasChandraBose on his 125th birth anniversary

"Netaji's statue already exists in Vidhanasoudha (premises), will be shifted in front of Vidhanasoudha building; a decision to be taken soon," says CM pic.twitter.com/kcdoOmDyCh

— ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2022

Tamil Nadu Health Minister MA Subramanian pays tribute to Netaji #SubhasChandraBose on his 125th birth anniversary. pic.twitter.com/0Lmj9uGzgP

— ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2022

Lucknow, UP | Union Minister Anurag Thakur, newly-inducted leader Aparna Yadav and other BJP leaders pay tribute to Netaji #SubhasChandraBose on his 125th birth anniversary pic.twitter.com/hxutifSby2

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) January 23, 2022

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed to PM Modi to declare Netaji's birthday as a national holiday. "We again appeal to the Central Government that Netaji’s birthday be declared a National Holiday to allow the entire Nation to pay homage to the National Leader and celebrate #DeshNayakDibas in most befitting manner,” the West Bengal CM tweeted.

ALSO READ: Subhas Chandra Bose's 125th birth anniversary: Here are some lesser-known facts about Netaji 

Meanwhile, Modi will unveil the hologram statue of Netaji at India Gate today. PM Modi on Friday had announced that a grand statue of the legendary freedom fighter will be installed at India Gate “as a symbol of India’s indebtedness to him”. Till the time the "grand statue" of Netaji, made of granite, is completed, a hologram statue would be installed at the same place, the PM informed. 

In a first, India began its Republic Day celebrations from January 23 instead of January 24, to include Netaji's birth anniversary. 

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday (January 23) attacked the Central government while paying tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on the occasion of his 125th birth anniversary in Kolkata. 

Condemning Centre for rejecting West Bengal’s tableau for Republic Day Parade, Banerjee claimed Netaji’s statue is coming up at India Gate in Delhi because of her government’s pressure. “Why so allergic to Bengal? You (Centre) rejected Bengal tableau (for Republic Day)...You are making (Netaji) statue (in Delhi) because we pressurised you,” ANI quoted the TMC supremo as saying. 

Why so allergic to Bengal? You (Centre) rejected Bengal tableau (for Republic Day)...You are making (Netaji) statue (in Delhi) because we pressurised you: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee at an event commemorating Subhas Chandra Bose's 125th birth anniversary, in Kolkata pic.twitter.com/Q4witRM0t5

— ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2022

Speaking on Bengal’s contribution to the freedom struggle, the West Bengal CM said, “Had Bengal not been there, (country's) Independence would not have been achieved. I take pride in this fact.”

Slamming the Narendra Modi-led Centre, Banerjee said, “Till today we don't know about Netaji's whereabouts. They (Centre) had said that when they come to power, they will work on it but nothing happened. In fact, we (state) have released & declassified all files on Netaji Bose.”

Earlier today, taking to Twitter, the TMC chief had urged the Centre to declare Netaji’s birthday as a national holiday. 

"We again appeal to the Central Government that Netaji's birthday be declared a National Holiday to allow the entire Nation to pay homage to the National Leader and celebrate #DeshNayakDibas in most befitting manner," she tweeted. 

The CM also stated that a tableau on Netaji, which would also feature other eminent freedom fighters, will be put on display at the Republic Day parade in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, PM Modi will unveil the hologram statue of Netaji at India Gate today. PM Modi on Friday had announced that a grand statue of the legendary freedom fighter will be installed at India Gate “as a symbol of India’s indebtedness to him”. Till the time the "grand statue" of Netaji, made of granite, is completed, a hologram statue would be installed at the same place, the PM informed. 

(With agency inputs)

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In this exclusive interview with Zee News, Anita Bose, daughter of late Indian freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose talks about the installation of her father's statue at the iconic India Gate in New Delhi. She called it a 'better late than never' decision.