‘Allow the West Bengal tableau in the Republic Day festivities’: BJP leader

Anita Bose-Pfaff, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's daughter, said on Monday that the iconic freedom fighter's legacy has been "partly exploited" for political reasons, amid controversy over West Bengal's tableau for the Republic Day parade, which was themed on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army.

She didn't mince words when she said that the fanfare that heralded the start of Bose's 125th birthday festivities in Kolkata in 2021 had something to do with West Bengal's upcoming elections.

On Sunday, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing her "shock" at the tableau's rejection, which also included Rabindranath Tagore, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, and others.

In a telephonic conversation with PTI from her home in Germany, Bose-Pfaff said, "I have heard about it. I don't know under what circumstances it happened and why the tableau was not included. There might be some reasons. We can't imagine that the Republic Day function in the year when my father would have turned 125 is being held and his tableau was not included, it seems very strange."

"And last year, the opening of the anniversary year was celebrated in a bigger way, of all places in Kolkata, (it) had something to do with election and election prospects in Bengal. The fact that nothing happened this year....certainly the issue is not as important as last year," she further said. 

In response to a query about whether the national hero's legacy was manipulated for political ends, she answered, "Certainly and partially for political reasons."

She went on to say that she would not criticize it because politics is about meeting people and interacting with them. "So they would do that if an event like that hits a lot of people," she explained.

Banerjee claimed the decision will cause "pain" to the people of West Bengal while urging the prime minister to reconsider it. She said that no justification was given for the tableau's rejection.

Bose-Pfaff, who praised the BJP administration for declassifying Netaji archives, expressed disappointment that a high-level committee constituted last year to arrange a year-long celebration of the freedom fighter's 125th birthday never contacted her.

She says, "I am supposed to be a member of that committee, but I have never heard that it has called a meeting.... or any written communication. As far as I know, there has been no meeting. For me, it's a non-existent committee."

Bose, whom Mahatma Gandhi famously referred to as the "prince among nationalists," was one of Bengal's most illustrious figures, whose legacy the ruling TMC and the challenger BJP tried to take in the run-up to last year's assembly elections.

Bose-Pfaff has asked the Indian government to conduct DNA tests on the ashes of Bose held at the Renkoji shrine in Japan, which many claims to be his, in order to reveal the truth and put an end to the mystery surrounding his death.

She also said, "I tried to get the remains to move to India...but there are a lot of barriers. Now there is a Covid situation. I certainly would like this to be resolved. I think a DNA test should be conducted. DNA test would bring out the truth."

According to many versions, Bose boarded a jet from Taihoku Airport in Taiwan on August 18, 1945, which crashed shortly after take-off, killing him. Many people believe he survived the crash and lived in India as a refugee.