 Netaji's
writings, speeches and discourses have often reflected
his deep understanding of India's social and economic
problems. Even today, these documents are a rare
study in social reconstruction.
Bose's main objective was to sow
the seeds of socialism in India. He had declared
in the presidential address at the Haripura Congress
Session (1938): "I have no doubt in my mind
that poverty, illiteracy and disease can be eradicated
only along socialistic lines."
To further his socialistic ideals,
Subhas Chandra wanted a National Planning Commission
in place. Even while he was leading an armed struggle
for India's liberation, he had formed a separate
reconstruction department for his Army to ready
the personnel for a socialistic ideology.
Much of his political life
he spent advocating a three-point agenda. Though
many national leaders projected these in post-independent
India's development plan, they were rarely taken
up in earnest. His agenda included:
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| To eradicate poverty and
unemployment, he felt that the State should place
due emphasis on modern agricultural and industrial
practices. He had realized that developing the agricultural
sector and the home industry would provide an impetus
for India's economic revival.
He had also variously suggested
the abolition of zamindary system, radical land
reforms, granting of agricultural loans and development
of co-operative movement, increasing agricultural
production, scientific methods, widespread industrial
development plan under State ownership and State
control, and at the same time, revival of cottage
industries in necessary spheres, as other focal
points in India's fight against poverty and unemployment.
In a speech to the students of
Tokyo Imperial University in November 1944, he
said: "... in solving our problems, we want
to work in our own way. We will, naturally, study
experiments made in other countries - but, after
all, we have to solve our problems in an Indian
way and under Indian conditions. Therefore, the
system that we shall ultimately set up will be
an Indian system to suit the needs of the Indian
people."
A portion from Bose's Haripura speech (1938) may
be quoted in this context: "Regarding reconstruction,
our principal problem will be how to eradicate
poverty from our country. That will require radical
reform of our land system, including the abolition
of landlordism. Agricultural indebtedness will
have to be liquidated and the provision made for
cheap credit for the rural population. An extension
of the co-operative movement will be necessary
for the benefit of both producers and consumers."
The objective of his socialistic
thoughts was to improve the lot of toiling masses
of India, whom he called as 'have-nots' and they
form, even today, the majority of India's population.
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