Why Netaji continues to be a force to reckon with, enough to cost a Rajya Sabha MP his state honour

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose has been an icon for West Bengal, a freedom fighter who, till today, is at the centre of posters at political rallies and debates that question the gumption of the founder of the Indian National Army (INA) or the Azad Hind Fauj.

While promoting the historical heritage of the state, the BJP government focuses on icons like Swami Vivekanada, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and RSS founder Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee. At the two Tiranga rallies which Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari walked, in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ mission, the cut-out of Netaji was ubiquitous.

In fact, the Tiranga rally on Monday started from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s statue at Red Road, which proves the significance of the freedom fighter beyond the statue being a mere location as the starting point of the rally. Such is the importance given by the BJP government to Netaji, though his grandnephew Chandra Kumar Bose might beg to differ after switching from the BJP to Trinamool Congress (TMC) before the Assembly elections.

The saffron party has taken the importance of the freedom fighter one step further by revoking the Bengal honour Banga Bibhushan, conferred on its Rajya Sabha MP Nagendra Ray (also known as Anant Maharaj) earlier this year by the erstwhile TMC government. A prominent leader of the indigenous Rajbanshi community in the Cooch Behar district, Maharaj has made controversial remarks in the past on Netaji, which have not gone down too well with a section of people in the state, including the BJP.

The Banga Bibhushan is given to eminent personalities for their outstanding contribution in the fields of art, culture, literature, social services and other areas which Maharaj received on International Mother Language Day on February 21.

The government notice says that his name should be deleted from all records of the Banga Bibhushan, and that the MP could not officially use it with his name anymore.

This comes after Adhikari on Wednesday said that action would be taken against those who made derogatory comments and posts on social media about Netaji. The Cooch Behar Police station on Friday has also filed an FIR against Maharaj for derogatory comments on Netaji after a police complaint made by a resident in the region on August 7.

Maharaj has made comments questioning the role of Netaji in India’s freedom struggle, stating that the latter did not have any role in India’s fight for independence. Controversial comments also include Netaji’s INA comprising of British soldiers and not Indian soldiers.

Though Maharaj apologised for the comments via a video message, shortly after the state honour was revoked on Thursday, there was no escape against the FIR filed or any scope of reconsidering the decision to revoke the state honour. Maharaj had "sincerely apologised" if anyone had been hurt "mentally" due to some of his "unintentional statements" about Netaji.

Were the statements unintentional?

The statement goes beyond the question of freedom of speech and expression and stresses upon the need for exercising control on comments made in the public domain as a public figure in the political arena. Some may say that public memory is short. But what is done is done, and cannot completely be forgotten in the public memory.

Anant Maharaj may have created history a few months ago by bagging the Banga Bibhushan and making the Rajbanshi community proud. Today, he has created history for the wrong reasons—for unwarranted comments and the revocation of a state honour: something which has been largely unheard of. The BJP government’s stern message: don’t mess with facts about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.