Bose in Nazi Germany by Romain Hayes

Author:Romain Hayes [Hayes, Romain]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literary Collections, Essays, History, General
ISBN: 9788184002355
Google: NWwFkBdMGFsC
Publisher: Random House Publishers India Pvt. Limited
Published: 2011-11-20T00:00:00+00:00

Bangkok, Regenwurm and Rome, June–July 1942

While Bose addressed the press, Indian nationalists in Bangkok prepared for a major conference on Indian independence. Bose had received an invitation but had to content himself with joining Axis statesmen, including Ribbentrop, in sending messages of support.45 Bose’s message took on a somewhat precautionary note as he warned his compatriots that while the Axis powers were ‘our best friends and allies’ and would ‘gladly render us such assistance as we may need’, the ‘emancipation of India must be the work primarily of Indians themselves’.46 He again reiterated that it was for the Indian people to decide what form of government they wanted. Not knowing the precise nature of their activities, Bose feared that his compatriots might have already compromised themselves by making too many concessions to the Japanese.

On 17 June, after an absence of five weeks, Bose felt that it was time to broadcast on the rapidly changing political situation in India. In the aftermath of the Cripps Mission, the British only made minor political concessions. These essentially revolved around an expansion of the Viceroy’s Executive Council—a largely symbolic advisory body—to include a few more Indians. This was combined with a smear campaign by the Viceroy to portray the Congress as pro-Nazi.47 Not surprisingly it achieved little, only hastening the divide between the British and Indians.

Bose’s broadcasts also appeared to have influenced the political landscape as Gandhi now suddenly launched a campaign demanding the immediate withdrawal of British and American troops from India.48 Whether this was a coincidence or whether Gandhi had indeed been influenced by Bose remains a matter of conjecture, but what is certain is that it left many Congressmen deeply shocked and embarrassed.49 Gandhi and Bose’s radical positions set them apart although their political importance ensured there was little Congressmen could do to oppose them. Nehru kept his counsel, refraining from directly challenging Gandhi although he remained hopeful that India would still eventually fight alongside the Allies. An increasingly despairing Azad considered asking Roosevelt to act as mediator between London and the Congress until an infuriated Gandhi threatened to throw him out50 much in a manner he had once threatened Bose.

British officials responded hysterically, denouncing Gandhi with words such as ‘fifth columnist’ and ‘quisling’.51 The language was very similar to that used to describe Bose. Churchill also became increasingly abusive, eventually describing Gandhi as a ‘rascal’ and a ‘thoroughly evil force’.52 ‘I hate Indians’ he finally admitted to the Secretary of State for India, Amery, claiming they were ‘a beastly people with a beastly religion’.53

Bose, not surprisingly, lauded Gandhi in his broadcast. Referring to him now as ‘Mahatma’, Bose welcomed his campaign to expel British and American troops from India. He went so far as to state that he would report in person to Gandhi as soon as India was liberated, thereby implying that he still recognised his leadership. Nevertheless, in the course of the broadcast, which was to a large extent a repetition of many points already raised, Bose claimed

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.