It is incorrect to say that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was ‘critical’ of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a senior regional representative of the organisation addressing a press conference on Tuesday, in Kolkata, said. The RSS press conference – held to share details about Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat’s visit to the region – also highlighted the ‘connection’ between Netaji and Sangh founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar.
“Netaji was critical of the Sangh, this is entirely incorrect. There’s nothing one can refer to, to say that Netaji has said something of this kind. Some while writing, have written a lot on this, but it’s not that Netaji said anything,” Ajay Kumar Nandi, Sanghachalak, eastern region, said.
Netaji’s relation with Hedgewar is not something recent, Nandi said.
A press statement issued by Sangh mentions that Hedgewar met Netaji for the first time at Congress’s session in Kolkata in 1921. Both have a deep relationship with Bengal. Hedgewar had come to Calcutta (now Kolkata) to study medicine and graduated in June 1914.
“Later, both Netaji and Doctorji left the Congress. Doctorji founded the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Nagpur in 1925 with 12 youths with the belief that this organisation within the society could make the country independent and self-reliant,” the statement notes.
“Both Netaji and Doctorji believed that a disciplined organisation inspired by national ideology is the only way to India's freedom and independence, so one led the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the other the Azad Hind Fauj. Netaji's first glimpse of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was through the compartment window of a moving train while he was travelling in that train. As the train passed through Nagpur, Netaji saw volunteers marching in uniform,” the statement adds.
Netaji made inquiries and gathered that volunteers were of the RSS, and its founder was his former Congress colleague. “He expressed his desire to meet doctorji and they met in June 1940 at Nagpur. According to many historians, Netaji went to meet Doctorji with the intention of merging the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh with the Azad Hind Vahini. Unfortunately, doctorji was seriously ill at that time and there was little communication with Netaji,” it states.
On January 23, Netaji’s birthday, Sangh Sarsanghchalak will be part of a programme in Kolkata, which is being organised by swayamsevaks of Howrah and Kolkata units.