Just Like Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji, Too, Cannot Be Reduced To a Mere Meme
It is appropriate to end this tribute by invoking the following powerful lines from Sugata Bose’s book on why Netaji can never become a saffron hero.
“[i]t is not as easy to lay false claim to the political legacy of Subhas Chandra Bose as it is to that of Vallabhbhai Patel. Confusing majoritarianism with democracy and uniformity with unity, the contemporary Indian state runs the risk of turning its back on the best traditions of Indian anti-colonial nationalism as it behaves more and more like its colonial predecessor, drawing upon and on occasion re-enacting lawless laws of the colonial era. It seeks to extract the allegiance of
India’s diverse populace through coercive control from the centre, thereby provoking greater alienation instead of nurturing a sense of belonging to the Indian Union. It is in this context of an erosion of political ethics that life as message of both Mahatma Gandhi and Netaji…