Pre-Independence Cabinet papers declassified by Mamata

The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision to unveil the Cabinet papers between the crucial pre-Independence era – 1937 to 1947 – soon may actually reveal a lot of important facts on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s rift with the Congress, the INA(Indian <g data-gr-id="27">Nationak</g> Army) movement and also on his disappearance since August, 1945.

The move was lauded by one of the founder members of Mission Netaji, Chandrachur Ghosh. “You must not forget that in 1937, Netaji came back from exile and after his growing conflict with the Congress, founded the Forward Bloc in 1939. He was then sent to jail in 1941. A lot of Bose’s departure from Congress politics of those days may be revealed once the Cabinet  papers of the state government are released and made public”, Ghosh told Millennium Post from Delhi. 

Abhijit Roy, Sarat <g data-gr-id="34">Chandar</g> Bose’s grandson, said, “The 64 files declassified have given us enough pointers to Netaji being sighted in USSR and China post 1945. there may <g data-gr-id="35">eb</g> more information in the Cabinet papers of those 10 years”. “Also, from 1945 onwards there was this burning issue of Bose’s disappearance and whether he was alive. The Cabinet papers may throw light on this crucial mystery as well,” said Ghosh.

Historian Purabi Roy, who has researched Bose’s disappearance extensively in the USSR archives, said, “The history of the second world war as it was witnessed in the North East would be of great importance. Where did all those soldiers of the INA disappear? We know that most of them lived in acute penury”, Roy told Millennium Post.

Between 1946 and 47, Netaji’s elder brother Sarat Chandra Bose was also becoming politically active in Bengal. The Forward Bloc was still an extremist organization and so, the range covered by these cabinet papers could be rather interesting. “I’d like to congratulate Mamata Banerjee for taking this bold step”, said Ghosh.