By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI: The 76th foundation day of Azad Hind Sarkar was today observed at Red Fort, Delhi. The event was co-hosted by Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India. The event was graced by Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel as the chief guest.
In year 2018 on this day PM Narendra Modi had graced the occasion at the same venue to mark the platinum jubilee of Azad Hind Sarkar. It is on the behest of a group of members from the Netaji movement that the PMO first declassified Netaji Files and has now made commemoration of the foundation day of Azad Hind Sarkar an annual event. On 26 Jan 2019 for the first time in the history of independent India the Indian National Army (INA) or the Azad Hind Fauj of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was allowed in the Republic day parade at Rajpath of Delhi. This too was a doing of the said group.
Chairman of Smt Nandini Satpathy Memorial Trust (SNSMT) who is also a lead member in the Netaji movement Suparno Satpathy thanked PM Modi as well as the Culture Ministry for all the support. Satpathy said ” Strong nations such as USA commemorate their Declaration of Independence day and not the day when the British left their country. 4th of July is the day of declaration of Independence and not the day when the British transferred power.
Similarly the Declaration of Independence of India was announced on 21 Oct ‘1943 by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose ( PM of undivided India) Thus India ought to commemorate 21 Oct as it’s Independence day”. He further added ” 15 Aug 1947 was a sad day when India was divided on the basis of religion and that doesn’t sync with the ethos of India. 15 Aug 1947 was a so-called Independence Day, while India still had a British national as it’s Viceroy. It is improper to celebrate a sad day”. He hoisted the tricolour at an event hosted by SNSMT and marked 21 Oct as the real independence day of India. He also put out a series of tweets on his official twitter handle.
Several events on a pan India foot print were organised to commemorate the Declaration of Independence of India as well as the foundation day of the first government of United India (Azad Hind Sarkar)
BJP leader and grand nephew of Netaji who is also a lead member of the Netaji movement Chandra Kumar Bose attended one such event at Moirang in Manipur. It is at Moirang, the last battle of Independence was fought between INA of Netaji and the British imperial forces. This war was lost by INA but it became the core cause for the British Raj to depart from India.
Several have joined in with the demand for a shift in India’s independence day commemorative events from 15 Aug to 21 Oct. Officials at high levels have confirmed with request of anonymity that the matter is under consideration.
