A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a hologram statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor asserted that a man of ‘profound secularism’ like him must not be reduced to a mere symbol.
PM Modi, while unveiling the statue at India Gate on Sunday, had said the contribution of our heroes, whose memories were being erased post-Independence, is now being revived. However, Tharoor insists this is “simply not accurate”. “I grew up in an India where Netaji was honoured. There are 164 institutions around the country named after him, all before 2014. No attempt has been made to erase Netaji. Similar things were said about Sardar Patel… I think we’ve to understand there is a political exercise at work here to somehow show that it is this government that is restoring the glory of previous leaders. And, that is simply not accurate,” he told ANI here.
He elaborated, “I’m glad that Netaji and Patel sahab are being honoured. We should be proud of all these people who fought for our independence and gave us the freedom we cherish today. But the important thing to remember is that Netaji should not be reduced to just a symbol or a hologram. He stood for certain admirable values and principles. He was a man of profound secularism, his Azad Hind Fauj had people of every faith – Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs – who served side by side with Netaji in positions of honour and trust. The officer with him when his plane crashed was a Muslim, his colleague was a Christian… This is the kind of ethos Netaji represents. In fact, he was one of the first leaders to value women’s equality. This kind of leader should not be seen as just a hologram. It’s not only valour and heroism he had; there are also certain solid principles which, sadly, the present government is abandoning.”