BJP used Netaji as a political tool: Congress

The Congress on Saturday backed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's ire against the Centre for donning a casual approach in handling the response to an RTI query relating to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using the issue of freedom fighter's death as a tool during assembly elections and said that the saffron party forgot about the brave heart post state polls.

Congress leader Tom Vadakkan said that if the BJP government wants to investigate, it may, but then it should not forget about the matter after siphoning political gains out of it.

"The Present BJP government has made a song and dance of Subhash Chandra Bose ji's death and that was aimed during the West Bengal elections, counter claims meetings and TV discussions were held and questions were asked and when all that was over they forgot about Subhash Chandra Bose and now we have his nephew in the BJP he is asking questions," said Vadakkan.

"A RTI reply is an application of the mind of the officials concerned in what is on the files, if they have gone and claimed what we have been saying for some time and they have accepted it, what was this sang and dance going on. Mamata ji is right, if you have to investigate the matter do investigate, don't focus use Subhash Chandra Bose ji' at the time of elections. When the elections were over, you close the file and sit back," he added.

Echoing similar sentiments, another Congress leader Promod Tiwari said that BJP's laid-back approach in the matter has hurt the sentiments of every person for whom Bose was an icon.

"Mamata says what she wants. Modi ji gave hope to the family of Subhash Chandra Bose and then forgot about his promises. This has hurt the sentiments of every person for whom Bose is an icon. But this is a habit of the Modi government," said Tiwari.

Banerjee yesterday expressed shock over the Centre's unilateral decision on Subhas Chandra Bose.

"The Central Government recently gave information about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose through a reply under the RTI Act. I am shocked to see this unilateral decision of the Central Government without evidence. Netaji is a great son of the soil. Our state, the country and the whole world is proud of him," Mamata said in her Facebook post.

She further said that any matter involving a person of his stature does not deserve to be handled in such a casual manner.

"I have drawn the attention of Hon'ble Prime Minister to this matter and has sought the considered stand of Central Government in this regard. I thought of sharing this with all of you," she added.

In a reply to an RTI query on Subhash Chandra Bose, the Narendra Modi Government said that Netaji died in a plane crash.

The RTI application was filed by one Sayak Sen in April wherein he asked if there was any information available with the government on Gumnamibaba or Bhagwanji who lived incognito in Uttar Pradesh till 1985 and was rumoured to be Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

To this, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) replied that some information about Gumnami Baba and Bhagwanji is available in the Mukherjee Commission report on page 114-122.

The RTI application asked if the government has any information regarding the whereabouts of Netaji post August 18, 1945.

Replying to the query, the MHA said that after considering the reports of various commissions, the government has arrived at the conclusion that Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose died in a plane crash on August 18, 1945.