Popularly known as 'Netaji', Subhas Chandra Bose is one of the many freedom fighters who laid their lives for the nation. This year, the central government has decided to observe Bose's birth anniversary as 'Parakram Diwas'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the first Parakram Diwas event in Kolkata and inaugurate an exhibition on the grounds of the National Library to mark the occasion.
Here’s everything you need to know about Netaji and Parakram Diwas:
1. 'Netaji' was born on January 23, 1897, in Cuttack in Odisha. He graduated from Kolkata and proved his mettle by becoming an Indian Civil Services (ICS) officer. But he left the comfort and amenities that came with his job and decided to be part of the freedom struggle. With the slogan “Give me blood and I will give you freedom”, he awakened the country towards fighting against the British.
Read more: 'Great freedom fighter, true son of Mother India: PM Modi pays tribute to Subhas Chandra Bose
2. Netaji built a force known as the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) giving the slogan of “Dilli Chalo”. Thousands of soldiers of his 60,000-strong army sacrificed their lives for the country.
3. At the time of India’s Independence, Clement Attlee the British Prime Minister said that the loyalty of the Indian army and navy to the British state was declining due to the increasing military activities of Bose’s Azad Hind Fauj and this was one of the major reasons that nudged Britishers into leaving India.
{{/usCountry}}3. At the time of India’s Independence, Clement Attlee the British Prime Minister said that the loyalty of the Indian army and navy to the British state was declining due to the increasing military activities of Bose’s Azad Hind Fauj and this was one of the major reasons that nudged Britishers into leaving India.
{{/usCountry}}4. The Centre has also planned to celebrate Bose’s 125th birth anniversary in 2022. A panel headed by Union home minister Amit Shah has been made for the same. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, her predecessor, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, and the BJP’s Bengal unit president Dilip Ghosh, among others, are part of the panel.
5. The announcement by the Centre over Parakram Diwas was mired in controversies. West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Forward Bloc, which was formed by Bose in 1939, have alleged that they were not consulted in the decision-making process for Parakram Diwas. The TMC also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of performing a “stunt” ahead of the assembly elections in Bengal, where Bose is an icon.