Had Bose been alive, India wouldn’t have been partitioned, says NSA Doval

New Delhi: If Subhas Chandra Bose had been alive, India would not have been partitioned, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval said on Saturday.

Delivering first Subhas Chandra Bose memorial lecture in the national capital organised by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), the NSA said that Netaji showed a lot of audacity at various stages of life and he even had the audacity to challenge Mahatma Gandhi.

“But Gandhi was at the prime of his political career and when Bose resigned and came out of the Congress, he started his struggle afresh,” Doval said.

“I am not saying good or bad but there are very few parallels in Indian history and world history of people who had the audacity to sail against the current,” Doval said, adding that Netaji was a lonely person and had no country supporting him except Japan.

The idea that came to his mind was “I will fight the British, I will not beg for freedom. It is my right and I will have to get it”, the NSA added.

“India would not have been partitioned if Subhas Bose was there. Jinnah had said I can accept only one leader and that is Subhas Bose,” Doval said.

He also said that Subhas Chandra Bose wanted Indians to feel free like birds and never compromised for anything less than the independence of the country.

Doval further said that Bose not only wanted to free India from political subjugation but he also felt the need to change the political, social, and cultural mindset of the people.

“Netaji (Subhas Chandra Bose) said I will not compromise for anything less than full independence and freedom. He said that he not only wants to free this country from political subjugation but there is a need to change the political, social and cultural mindset of the people and they should feel like free birds in the sky,” the national security adviser said.

The NSA said Bose was a secular person and that he was deeply religious.

He added that Bose’s efforts were driven by his passion for patriotism and his unwavering dream of a great India.

“Bose’s efforts were monumental, fuelled by his romantic ideals of patriotism and his unwavering hope for a great India. History may have been unkind to him, but his impact and nationalism continued even after his passing. He left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of countless Indians who were inspired by his extraordinary journey,” he said.