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What did Jawaharlal Nehru fear when he continued IB
snooping?April 11, 2015, 5:57 AM IST MJ Akbar in The Siege Within |
India | ET
Subhash Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru were too similar to
cooperate beyond a point, for there was only one place at thetop
and Gandhi had reserved it for Nehru.
Both came from privileged families. Both harvested an excellent
education into intellectually stimulating public discourse
andbooks: While Nehru was descriptive, perceptive and sometimes
lyrical, Bose was analytical and strategic. Both could have
beenglamorous pillars of the Raj but chose a lifetime of sacrifice
and struggle in the cause of freedom. Both leaned to the
Leftwithout toppling into communism. Both were heroes, whose
private lives were also a testimony to their extraordinarycharisma.
Both were nationalists as well as internationalists.
It is not widely known that when Bose chose to enter the World
War-II as an ally of the Axis powers, he told Japan that he hadno
desire to replace the British empire with a Japanese one. Both were
fiercely independent.
Gandhi took an early, and still unexplained, dislike to Bose.
Perhaps the Mahatma saw in Bose the one national hero who
couldinterfere with his plans for Nehru. When Bose once welcomed
Gandhi in Bengal with a parade by volunteers, Gandhi mockedBose
with uncharacteristic venom.
Gandhi handed over leadership of the mass campaign for the
crucial 1937 general elections to Nehru. But within a year
Boseproved that he was not only more popular than Nehru but even
Gandhi in the Congress when he was elected party president
atHaripura in 1938, against Gandhis expressed wish. He could not of
course function without Gandhis cooperation; the rift wascomplete.
Bose started his own party.
The conventional view was that Bose had marginalised himself out
of national space by leaving Gandhi, Congress and then thecountry
by 1941. Two events in 1946 proved that this view was utterly
wrong. The revolt in the Indian Navy in February wasevidence that
Boses influence in the armed forces was beyond the control of the
British. And the trial of Bose INA veterans atthe Red Fort for
treason led to such mass rage that British rule was no longer
tenable. Indias young had spoken. And they hadspoken in the voice
of Bose.
British fear of Bose and his family was well-founded. But what
did Nehru fear when he continued the Intelligence
Bureausurveillance for as long as he was Prime Minister? Bose death
in an air crash was always a mystery trapped in fog. What swirlsthe
most in any mist? Rumour. But rumour apart there was uncertainty at
the highest levels about whether Bose had actuallydied or not. One
way to establish facts would be to check whether Bose kept any form
of contact with Calcutta and his family.So letters were
intercepted, and watch kept on visitors.
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WhatdidJawaharlalNehrufearwhenhecontinuedIBsnooping?ETBlogs
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But surely the more substantive reason was political. Nehru
knew, better than anyone else, that Bose was the only
nationalleader who could challenge Congress dominance over India
and Nehrus dominance over Congress. I certainly believe that ifBose
had been on the political scene, Congress would have been badly
dented in the 1957 general elections and certainlydefeated in 1962.
Bose was also the only leader who could have patched together a
non-Congress coalition. What happened in1977 could so easily have
occurred in 1962. It is interesting to speculate on what impact
this might have had on Chinas warplans against India, or for that
matter Pakistans aggression in 1965.
There are still 87 files about Bose that the Government of India
will not disclose. The official excuse is that this will have
anadverse impact on Indias relations with one or more foreign
countries. How? Why? If Bose actually died in the air crash
whywould there be any reason for any adverse impact with any third
nation? Does this substantiate a rumour that Bose survivedthe
crash, and managed to reach an unnamed country where he was
incarcerated for the rest of his life? Was this imprisonmentbehind
some curtain that was made of such iron that news simply could not
filter through? Did Nehru know about this and donothing for fear of
consequences back home? In the absences of answers we can only
raise questions.
Let me leave you with a thought. The head of IB during Nehrus
prime ministership, and indeed beyond, was BN Mullik. All IBchiefs
have limited terms. Mullik was never removed from his chair. Why?
Did Mullik know something that gave him what canonly be described
as blackmail powers over the Congress government? Was he Indias
version of FBI chief J Edgar Hoover?Once again, we do not know. But
we can safely assume that there is some fire smouldering within
this smoke, and that if thatfire touches the oxygen of revelation,
there will be conflagration.
DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.
Addyourcommenthere
Author
MJ AkbarMJ Akbar is one of India's most distinguished editors
and authors. He has written several bestselling books on life and
politics in modernIndia. He is the. . .
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