GANDHIJI ECLIPSED BY NETAJI

GANDHIJI ECLIPSED BY NETAJI 

Today Gandhiji's popularity has been far eclipsed by Netaji's nationally. The Government of India is reticent about propagating Netaji's name and message internationally owing to his war-time Axis alliance. This is unfortunate but seems to the imperative of the times ever since the end of the Second World War in 1945. Netaji's popularity at home, however, is soaring by the day and Gandhiji's declining despite Governmental efforts at keeping up his image. Internationally Gandhiji continues to be lip-popular for all nations offer him verbal homage without caring to practise his principles of non-violence. In a like manner Netaji continues to be regarded as a fascist dictator of sorts by the West with the Government of India doing nothing by way of clearing his name of all such calumny. But on the domestic front, as stated above, the wind certainly blows in Netaji's favour as the polity comes to a mature appreciation of the country's recent history and of the relative roles played by the armed revolutionaries and the passive resistors, the uncompromising fighters for absolute freedom and the compromised votaries of non-violence. As the polity comes into being with increased awareness post universal education and access to social media, Netaji's image is waxing and Gandhiji's waning. Clearly today, Netaji is the national hero, the only one who can cut across ideological, cultural and religious barriers in a vastly pluralistic India. He is the only leader who is accepted by all and sundry of this vast nation except perhaps the diehard communists, although, on paper even they are no more openly antagonistic to him after their leader, the late Jyoti Basu's apology in 1997 during Netaji's centenary year for their earlier misjudgement of his historical role. That was, perhaps, a political ploy to garner popular support for his regime at an hour of heightened emotion in West Bengal regarding Netaji, but outwardly that has been the stance by communists at home, a carefully constructed mock-reverence for Netaji to suit political ends. Hindus and Muslims, who are as yet divided over so many national issues, are all united in their allegiance to and reverence for Netaji. While Gandhiji is being propped up by the Government, Netaji requires no such official or artificial support for sustenance. The people of this country spontaneously fall in line behind him and if this trend continues, the day is not far off before the GOI is compelled to take Netaji and his futuristic policies for the nation into greater cognizance and accordingly formulate national policy as well. Gandhiji belongs to the past, Netaji to the present and to the future. 

Written by Sugata Bose