In 1940, a Communist Party publication Unmasked Parties and Politics described Netaji as ‘Blind Messiah’. All the evaluations were based on the blind faith in the only source of a tailor-made thinking that compelled to look at the facts from a particular angle
Since beginning the Communists used to highly boast of their scientific thought process and progressive vision. But it has been ironical that their assessment, criticism, policies, resolutions, etc. related to the present happenings found to be most unrealistic and foolish, not to talk of history or future events. This is not a phenomenon related to a single country or period. This has been the track record of the Communists world over. Let us observe their assessment of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose to understand this phenomenon better.
In 1940, an English publication of Communist Party ‘Unmasked Parties and Politics’ called Netaji a ‘Blind Messiah’. Further his mission was described as ‘thoughtless opportunism the example of which is difficult to find’. And this is all soft assessment! Slowly this Communist terminology towards Netaji turned more violent and full of slang words such as ‘ Black Gang’, ‘Traitor Bose’, ‘An enemy agent’, ‘Advance party of Tojo (Japanese Dictator) and Hitler’, ‘Political worms’, ‘Septic that need to be cut and thrown’ and so on. All these expletives were used for Subhash Bose and his INA (Indian National Army). Many cartoons printed in Communist magazines and mouthpieces bear testimony to this blind, closed mindset of the Communists towards Netaji. (These cartoons are available thanks to historian Sitaram Goyal who kept a hawk’s eye on their activities.) In most of the cartoons Subhash Bose was shown as ‘Dog or Cat of Japanese and German Fascists’ dancing to the tunes of their masters.
In one of the cartoons, Subhash Bose was shown as ‘Mask’ of Tojo, while in another one he was depicted as Japanese bombing Bharateeya. Yet another cartoon showed him a ‘thief stealing Gandhiji’s sheep’. One more cartoon showed Tojo riding a donkey wearing a face of Subhash Bose and the other one showed Subhash Bose as ‘Tojo’s pet dwarf’, etc.
Top Communist leader Randive in one of his articles published in the Communist newspaper ‘People’s Daily’ described Bose as “Dacoit of the Japanese Imperialism” and his INA was described as “mercenaries inflicting loot, dacoity, damage on Indian territory”. But as the popularity of INA began to rise with the changing times the same Communists started speaking in their favour!
It must be borne in mind that all this was not an exception or without any intentions. Secondly, those who assess and evaluate the happenings, personalities in such a foolish manner, can commit similar mistakes in case of other people, incidents and powers. That means without any intellectual approach. All such assessments and evaluations have their basis in a blind faith in a framed thought process that prevents us from looking at the things differently. This closed mindset has been dangerous for the country and the society; we need to understand this properly.
Therefore, even after apologising for wrong and insulting comments on Netaji Subhash, Jai Prakash Narain, or Gandhiji, these Communists are indulging in the same activity time and gain. There is no change in their anti-national, anti-society mindset. Today, we see the presence of same mindset in their criticism of serious issues like Ayodhya, Kashmir, Godhra, Islami Terrorism and criticism of leaders like Atal Behari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, or Narendra Modi. They are following the same footsteps of Communist campaigning as they did in the case of Netaji Subhash.
We must not ignore and underestimate damaging capability of their criticism of Netaji and INA as ‘Tojo’s Dog’ or that of depicting Shri Mohan Bhagwat and RSS as ‘Taliban’. The ‘intolerance’ or ‘saffronisation’ campaigns are indicative of that same dangerous blind faith and anti-Hindu attitude. They break the country and society. That is why they are using every opportunity to dethrone or malign the Modi government despite extensive public support it enjoyed. The youth, particularly, be aware of the damage caused by these activities. This is the most important lesson to be learnt by the Communist assessment of Netaji.
Shankar Sharan (The writer is a Prof of Political Science)
