Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi created a controversy on Tuesday by crediting Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose over Father of India Mahatma Gandhi for helping India get freedom from British Rule. Further, the Governor claimed that the national freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi after 1942 was a non-event. He also alleged that the non-cooperation movement of the Indian National Congress had lost its momentum or effectiveness.
While speaking at 127th birth anniversary of Bose observed as Parakram Diwas at Anna University, Ravi said, "The influence of Mahatma Gandhi's freedom movement on the British was 'minimal.' This was acknowledged by Atlee (former British Prime Minister Clement Atlee who signed on the decision to grant Independence to India)."
The Governor, who honored Indian National Army (INA) veterans during the event, urged for comprehensive research on Netaji in the national interest, emphasizing that he has not been adequately portrayed or understood. Ravi stressed that the findings from such research should be shared with a broader audience.
While it took seven decades and the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to include women in the Indian armed forces, particularly training them for combat roles, Bose had envisioned a women's battalion back then. Ravi pointed out that Lakshmi Krishnan, serving as a section commander in the Rani Jhansi Regiment within the INA, stood as a living testament to Bose's vision.
"I would say that if Netaji was not there, then India would not have become free in 1947 because the non-cooperation movement of the Indian National Congress fizzled out while the national freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi after 1942 was a non-event," the Governor said at the event.