The Union home minister also mentioned attempts to erase Netajiu2019s legacy while speaking at a different venue. Both are ludicrous accusations given that Bose continues to be one of the nation’s tallest icons in both the political narrative and the curriculum, particularly in Bengal. The chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh made an equally clever statement when he remarked that Bose’s objectives aligned with those of his group. This was just another falsification of the facts.
The RSS’s ideology of a majoritarian republic is the exact polar opposite of Bose’s vision of a united India. Of course, all of this nonsense has a purpose. The BJP has been fervently pursuing its goal of appropriating Bose, doing everything from erecting a statue of him in the shade near the India Gate in New Delhi to fabricating tales of purported official indifference to him.
Video Courtesy: Times Now
The reasons for the chase are obvious. There aren’t many nationalist heroes in the sangh parivar’s collection. In order to fill the void, it periodically tries to usurp real nationalists. Through this endeavour, the BJP also intends to further cement its mark on Bengal’s political landscape. The legacy of the man himself, though, is the largest challenge the BJP has. It is challenging for the BJP to claim Bose as its own due to his unyielding stance against communalism, which is the party’s defining characteristic. However, the BJP has a reputation for slyly navigating around insurmountable issues.
It cannot be ruled out that further pedagogical changes to co-opt Bose would be made now that it is firmly in power. His daughter reinforced the idea that fending off this dangerous co-option was the wisest course of action. Anita Bose Pfaff repeated in a statement from Germany that honouring Bose’s goal would entail putting an end to religious discrimination, which Mr. Modi’s New India has engaged in willfully during the past few years. But everyone must share the burden of doing this. Historians will fight their battle of preserving Netajiu2019s status as a champion of secular India. But the common people must do their bit too, by imbibing and practising Boseu2019s ideas and values in their everyday life.
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