Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on the occasion of Parakram Diwas on Thursday (23 January 2025). This is the 128th birth anniversary of Netaji. On this occasion, he also met school children in the Central Hall of Parliament House. On the other hand, Netaji Bose’s daughter Anita Bose Pfaff has appealed to PM Modi to bring the mortal remains of Subhash Chandra Bose from Japan to India.
Anita Bose issued a press release saying that Netaji’s ashes have been kept in the Renkoji Temple in Tokyo for the last eight decades. Questioning the intentions of the previous governments of India, he said that for decades the governments of the country hesitated or refused to bring back the mortal remains of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
Today, on Parakram Diwas, I pay homage to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. His contribution to India’s freedom movement is unmatched. He epitomized courage and grit. His vision continues to motivate us as we work towards building the India he envisioned. pic.twitter.com/HrXmyrgHvH
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 23, 2025
He further said, “At one time the priests of Renkoji temple and the government of Japan were under his (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose) the remains of their Were willing, ready and eager to send back to the motherland. “We have to accept that he died in a plane crash that day while flying to Taipei, Taiwan (then occupied by Japan).”
According to Anita Bose, Netaji’s daughter, this hesitation of governments was probably due to the hope that Netaji had not died in 1945. He further wrote, “Don’t keep Netaji in exile any longer! Allow them to return home. “Many compatriots still remember, respect and love him.”
The Congress government led by the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao had decided to give Bharat Ratna to Netaji posthumously, but due to pressure they had to withdraw this decision. The reason given by the government for not giving Bharat Ratna to Netaji was that if it was done then it would be confirmed that Netaji had actually died.
Earlier in August 2019, Anita Bose had requested PM Modi to conduct DNA test of Netaji’s ashes kept in Renkoji Temple in Japan. He said that this will reveal the truth of his father’s death. He had claimed that some ‘special people’ in the previous governments did not want the mystery surrounding Netaji’s death to ever be lifted.
Similarly, in the year 2022, Anita Bose, while giving an interview to an Indian channel, had said that a lot of wrong was done to her father and her father’s legacy in India. She says that Netaji was a devout Hindu and he could not kill people in the name of religion, as happened after the partition of the country. Let us tell you that lakhs of Hindus were killed during partition.
According to Netaji’s daughter, her father was of rebellious nature. Due to this, Mahatma Gandhi was not able to control him. Gandhiji had taken the side of Pandit Nehru. He had said that a section of the Congress had done wrong to Netaji and his colleagues were condemned. Netaji’s associates did not even get the benefits that those who fought for the British got.
