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Netaji’s grand nephew says attempts being made to distort history
KOLKATA: The family of the iconic revolutionary Subhash Chandra Bose has called out Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda for misleading people by claiming that the protagonist of his upcoming film ‘Swatantra Veer Savarkar‘ influenced Netaji’s life.
In an exclusive conversation with The New Indian, Netaji’s grandnephew Chandra Kumar Bose also highlighted attempts to distort history through films and promote communal division.
Hooda, who portrays Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, recently stated that the right-wing ideologue had a significant influence on the lives of revolutionaries like Netaji, Bhagat Singh, and Khudiram Bose. “The most wanted Indian by the British. The inspiration behind revolutionaries like – Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh & Khudiram Bose. Who was #VeerSavarkar? Watch his true story unfold!…,” he posted on Twitter.
Dismissing these claims as false, Bose asserted that the mentioned freedom fighters were inclined towards left-wing ideologies, while Savarkar held extreme right-wing views.
He stated, “Hooda is mistaken. His statement is incorrect and factually wrong in terms of history. Savarkar has nothing to do with Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.” Bose emphasized that Netaji, as the Azad Hind army chief, was an inclusive and secular leader, while Savarkar believed in Hindutva.
Bose further mentioned, “In the history of India’s freedom struggle, I have never come across any evidence indicating that Savarkar influenced these three revolutionaries who fearlessly sacrificed their lives for India’s freedom.”
He highlighted that Netaji’s ideology is best suited to govern a vast and diverse country like India. “Netaji was the only leader who refused to use religious symbols for political purposes. He opposed the idea of a Hindu Rashtra and Hindutva.”
Bose explained that Netaji drew inspiration from Swami Vivekananda, his political mentor Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, and his childhood tutor, Beni Madhav Das in Cuttack.
He welcomed the idea of a factually correct film on Savarkar but criticized Hooda’s tweet, suggesting that it misrepresents the truth. “You don’t need Netaji or Khudiram Bose or Bhagat Singh to portray Savarkar. Savarkar represents a certain ideology and has his own contribution. He was and still is respected by a section of society. He should be portrayed as he truly was,” said Bose, who contested the last Assembly election on a BJP ticket against West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.
Describing Subhash Chandra Bose as the “Arjuna of Mahabharata,” he further highlighted that the revolutionary’s commitment to refrain from using religious symbols for political purposes made him unique.
“What do we see these days? Decisive vote bank politics! Constant Hindu-Muslim divide! Neta Ji would have vehemently opposed such kind of politics. Today, if we have to unite the nation, there is only one path which is Neta Ji’s inclusive ideology,” he concluded.
