The Union Culture Ministry has announced that January 23, birth anniversary of Subhash Chandra Bose, would be celebrated as “Parakram Diwas” — the day of courage — every year.

Try this PYQ

Q.Highlight the difference in the approach of Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi in the struggle for freedom. (150 W)

Subhash Chandra Bose (1897-1945)

• Bose was an Indian revolutionary prominent in the independence movement against British rule of India.
• He also led an Indian national force from abroad against the Western powers during World War II.
• He was a contemporary of Mohandas K. Gandhi, at times an ally and at other times an adversary.
• He was highly influenced by a socialist ideology that acquired popularity as consequences of the Russian Revolution.

Forget not that the grossest crime is to compromise with injustice and wrong. Remember the eternal law: You must give if you want to get.

– Netaji

Association with INC

• In 1927, after being released from prison, Bose became general secretary of the Congress and worked with Jawaharlal Nehru for independence.
• In late December 1928, Bose organised the Annual Meeting of the Indian National Congress (INC) in Calcutta.
• Subsequently, Bose wanted to get elected as Congress President in a subsequent session of 1939 convened at Tripuri.
• However, his candidature was challenged by Mahatma Gandhi who wanted to prevent socialist orientation to the Indian National Movement.
• Gandhi proposed Pattabhi Sitaramaya for this candidature.
• In this election, Bose emerged victorious by a huge margin which was not acceptable to Mahatma Gandhi.
• Congress leader supported Mahatma Gandhi and forced Subhash Chandra Bose to step down from Presidentship.
• Under such collective pressure, Bose not only resigned from the Congress members. Thereafter he established a separate political party known as “Forward Bloc”.

Escape to Germany

• On the outbreak of WW-II, Bose advocated a campaign of mass civil disobedience to protest against Linlithgow’s decision to declare war on India’s behalf without consulting the Congress leadership.
• Having failed to persuade Gandhi of the necessity of this, he was house arrested from where he escaped to Germany.
• He then went to several countries of Europe and finally landed in a region of Singapore in “South East Asia”.

Azad Hind Fauj

• The SE Asia region was under the control of Japan where a large number of “Indian Prisoners of War” was confined.
• When Subhash Chandra Bose reached Singapore in1943 this army was led by a prominent revolutionary Ras Behari Bose whose cadre was known as “Indian National Army”.
• Subhash Chandra Bose reorganized and expanded this force in order to liberate India. This force was renamed as “Azad Hind Fauj” by him.

The Azad Hind Government

• The Provisional Government of Free India, or, more simply, Free India (Azad Hind), was an Indian provisional government established in occupied Singapore in 1943.
• C. Bose was the leader of Azad Hind Government (AHG) and also the Head of State of this Provisional Indian Government-in-exile.
• It was a part of the freedom movement, originating in the 1940s outside India with a purpose of allying with Axis powers to free India from British rule.

Its collapse and INA Trials

• INA under the leadership of Bose got defeated severely at Rangoon due to lack of support of Japanese.
• Bose was suggested to leave Burma to continue his struggle for Indian independence and returned to Singapore before the fall of Rangoon.
• The AHG govt in the islands collapsed when the island garrisons of Japanese and Indian troops were defeated by British troops and the islands themselves retaken.
• The Provisional Government of Free India ceased to exist with the deaths of the Axis, the INA, and Bose in 1945.
• It was followed by the Famous Trials at Red Fort.

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