WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU, NETAJI

WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU, NETAJI 

Enough is enough. Netaji must no more be made to play second fiddle to Gandhiji in popular conception about the Indian freedom struggle. Let truth come out in bold terms on this the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji that he was the numero uno of our independence movement and not Gandhiji. Verily, but for him the Mahatma would have to keep spinning the yarn with his Congress colleagues for the rest of his life and the British would have remained firmly entrenched in India. Who would have left the treasure trove that India was had they not been forced out of India by the INA's armed assault and its subsequent impact on the British Indian armed forces? Netaji undermined the loyalty of the Indian troops that held the British bastion and the result was that the British beat a hasty retreat to their northern homeland while still a graceful exit was possible.

We are today on a day of epic significance. Let us commemorate this day by raising a toast to all our dead INA heroes, our revolutionaries and our countless Netaji activists who have made today truly memorable. A special thanks to Maj Gen Gagandeep Bakshi for ceaselessly pursuing the case for the installation of the statue of Netaji at India Gate. Jai Hind!

Written by Sugata Bose