BJP may pit Netaji kin against Didi on her home turf
KOLKATA: Subhas Chandra Bose’s legacy may become a matter of political tug-of-war in the assembly elections in Bhawanipore with the BJP preparing to nominate Netaji’s grandnephew Chandra Bose against chief minister Mamata Banerjee in the constituency.
Bose’s ancestral house on Elgin Road comes under Bhawanipore constituency.
Bose, 65, a London educated HR and IT professional now lives in South Kolkata. He joined BJP on January 25 at the rally of party president Amit Shah in Howrah.
Chandra Bose is the most prominent of the part of the Bose family that believe Netaji did not die in the 1945 aircrash at Taihoku.
Mamata Banerjee has also commented in public more than once that she, too, did not believe that the leader perished in the aircrash, and her party Lok Sabha MP Sugata Bose (who is a historian of repute)and his mother Krishna Bose (former MP), both have written and spoken in favour of the aircrash theory.
Bose joined BJP two days after the Narendra Modi government reversed 70 years of the Centre’s policy by initiating declassification of secret files on Subhas Chandra Bose.
“I have nothing to comment. I will serve in any role the party deems fit for me,” Bose told HT on Monday morning.
However, BJP sources in Delhi confirmed that talks are on between Bose and party’s top leadership.
“Bose was among the people who fought for declassification of files relating to Netaji. He and other family members appealed to Narendra Modi who ordered declassification. Bose is one of the suitable candidates for Bhawanipore constituency against Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. A final decision in this regard will be shortly taken,” said a senior BJP leader.
BJP leaders told HT Bose is the best candidate to take on Trinamool Congress chief from Bhawanipore constituency. Bose’s clean image, education and oratorical skills, apart from the fact that he belongs to Netaji’s family will help him fight against Mamata Banerjee.