Mamata pays homage to Bose on birth anniversary, urges Centre to declassify all files related to him

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday paid tribute to Subhas Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary, and urged the central government to declassify all remaining documents related to the legendary freedom fighter. Banerjee, in a post on X, also said that even after decades, “the mystery surrounding his disappearance remains unsolved”. “On the birth anniversary of Deshnayak Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, I offer my heartfelt respect and salutations to him,” she said. “It is our collective misfortune that the mystery of Netaji’s disappearance has not been solved even today. We do not know what happened to him after 1945. This is a matter of great sorrow for everyone,” the CM said.

Banerjee said the West Bengal government had released all state files related to Bose into the public domain long ago. “I will once again appeal to the Government of India to declassify all information related to Netaji,” she said. She said Bose continues to be an emotion for people across Bengal, India and the world. “People have never forgotten him and will never forget him,” Banerjee said. Recalling Bose’s inclusive vision of India, the chief minister said he knew that the nation does not belong only to Hindus or Muslims, "but men and women, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Punjabis, Tamils, Gujaratis and Bengalis". She also described Bose’s Azad Hind Fauj as a symbol of secularism and brotherhood. “If we truly wish to honour Netaji, it is our duty to follow his ideals of unity, brotherhood and harmony, irrespective of caste, religion or gender. We are all Indians – that is our identity,” Banerjee asserted. Highlighting steps taken by her government to honour Bose, she said the cell at Alipore Jail where he was imprisoned has been restored and opened to the public, exhibitions on Netaji have been organised, and his book ‘Taruner Swapna’ translated into several languages. “As a mark of respect to Netaji, we have also launched a project called ‘Taruner Swapna’, under which Class XI students of government schools are given Rs 10,000 to buy mobile phones or tablets to help them continue their studies,” the CM added.