Letter to BS: Politicians must follow in freedom fighters' footsteps

The argument of political parties about the real inheritors of Subhas Chandra Bose’s legacy are laughable. There is a tendency among political leaders nowadays to indulge in a war of words over the heirs of legacies of freedom fighters just around the time of their anniversaries. When the nation was paying tribute to Bose on his 123rd birth anniversary, politicians began making sundry claims about the legacy of Netaji. They must first realise his greatness. He fought for a secular and united India. The nation’s interests mattered to Netaji above everything else. He stood for communal harmony which he demonstrated through the Indian National Army (INA) that had people from all religions in its ranks. Women, too, enjoyed equal status in the INA, and he never used religion for political ends.

India today faces the greatest crisis since Independence. Communal, regional and sectarian sentiments have been encouraged by parties for political gains. The appropriation of Netaji by the current lot of political leaders is absurd. The 2019 Democracy Index report released on January 22 placed India at the 51st spot. The protests across India over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens, and the manner in which the government responded reinforce this image of a "flawed democracy". Instead of making facile arguments and contesting the legacy of freedom fighters, political parties must follow in their footsteps. They must try to put into practice what these icons preached and work towards a society that they had envisaged.  
 

Venu G S Kollam

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