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National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval said on Saturday that if Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was alive at the time of independence, India would not have been partitioned. Doval was speaking at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Memorial Lecture in Delhi. He said that geniuses like Netaji are very few.
NSA Ajit Doval speaking during the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Memorial Lecture in Delhi.
Doval said that Netaji showed courage at different stages of his life and dared to challenge Gandhi. Doval said, ‘But Gandhi was at the peak of his political career. Then he resigned and when he came out of the Congress, he started his struggle afresh. He was the only one who had the audacity to challenge Mahatma Gandhi.
won’t beg for freedom
Doval said, ‘I am not saying good or bad, but there are very few people in Indian history and world history who had the courage to go against the stream. And going against the tide of the British Empire was not easy. The thought came to his mind that ‘I will fight the British, I will not beg for freedom’. This is my right and I have to get it. He said that Netaji was alone in this, no country supported him except Japan.
His leadership was of a different style. Doval recalled Netaji saying that Bose had insisted that ‘India was a reality, India is a reality and India will be a reality’.
settle for nothing less than freedom
Netaji (Subhash Chandra Bose) said that I will settle for nothing less than complete freedom and independence. He said that Bose not only wanted to free this country from political subjugation but also said that there was a need to change the political, social and cultural mindset of the people and they should feel like free birds in the sky.
Netaji was also approved by Jinnah
Doval said that ‘India would not have been divided in the presence of Subhash Chandra Bose. Jinnah had said that I can accept only one leader and that is Subhash Bose. He said, a question often comes to mind. In life our efforts matter or the result… No one can doubt the great efforts of Subhash Bose, Gandhi was also his admirer. But people often judge you by the results you deliver. So did the whole effort of Subhash Chandra Bose go in vain?’
Ajit Doval said, even after his death – I don’t know when – we are afraid of the ideas of nationalism he created. History has been unkind to Netaji, I am very glad that PM Modi is keen to revive it.
Doval said that Subhash Chandra Bose’s legacy was unique and his courage and tenacity were two qualities that were incomparable.