At a time when Netaji’s grandnephew’s ‘final request’, made to the Prime Minister for bringing the mortal remains of one of the country’s leading liberators remains unanswered, another request made by a Durgapur youth for setting up a memorial of the iconic leader in New Delhi too hangs in limbo over the last four years.
Somnath Gupta, a TV soap series actor, had sought the Centre’s permission and participation in setting up a ‘Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Memorial’ in New Delhi. He is a regular character artist of several Bengali TV series. After turning down Gupta’s ‘Right to Information’ queries in 2020 about whether India makes annual payment to Renkoji Temple in Tokyo, the Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs also hinted that the ‘ambitious’ Memorial couldn’t be set up due to some restrictions.
The Section Officer of the Ministry, Bimala Bagga, in her communication to Gupta, stated: “As per the decision taken by the Union Cabinet on 18 October, 2014, a total ban has been imposed on development of Samadhis and conversion of government bungalows into Memorials of departed leaders.” A hopeless Gupta said: “This made it clear that New Delhi will never accommodate a Netaji Memorial, which is really heart breaking.”
Interestingly, in a note from the President’s Secretariat on ‘setting up a memorial of Netaji in Delhi’, R.P. Bahuguna, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, said, “Since the erection of memorials is the concern of the Ministry of Urban Development as per the Allocation of Business Rules, 1961, the reference may kindly be considered for further necessary action.”
Pranab Mukherjee was the President of India when this note was issued. “It was based on his consent against my appeal to him. But the matter didn’t progress any further,” Gupta lamented, adding: “Ironically, the Centre has declared the setting up of a memorial of President Mukherjee.” On last 1 January, the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, in a communication (No: L & LDO/L-II- A/Samadhi/2024) to Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmistha, mentioned the “earmarking of a designated site for erecting a Samadhi of Pranab Mukherjee”.
On 9 January last year, Netaji’s grandnephew Chandra Kumar Bose had inked his ‘final request’ to PM Narendra Modi for his active intervention in bringing the mortal remains of his granduncle from Renkoji Temple. Chandra Bose stated: “After the release of all the files, it is evident that Netaji perished on 18 August 1945. It is, therefore, imperative that a final statement is made from the Government of India, so that false narratives about the Liberator of India are laid to rest.”
Bose further demanded: “It is of utmost importance that Netaji’s remains must be brought back to India by 23 January 2025 and a Memorial built in his honour in Delhi on Kartavya Path.”
He told The Statesman ahead of Netaji’s 128th birthday: “It is a height of dishonour that his remains should lie in a foreign land. Our family gives stress in building the nation the way Netaji had dreamt about a caste, creed and religious strife-free India without any discrimination.”Unless Netaji’s remains are brought back, the question of the memorial becomes useless, however!