‘Joining BJP was a historic mistake’: Subhas Chandra Bose’s grandnephew calls for 'unity to counter divisive politics'

Emphasising a principled stand, he added that “communalism cannot be fought with communalism", calling instead for unity across communities.

In a strongly worded statement, the leader alleged that any party whose sole objective is to create division and polarisation among voters for electoral gains cannot be supported.

Chandra Kumar Bose, grandnephew of freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose , termed joining the BJP a “historic mistake” on Friday, saying the realisation came “sooner rather than later”.

“Joining the BJP was a 'historic mistake' — but I realized it not too late, but rather sooner! If a party's sole aim is to create division and polarization among voters just to win elections, then I cannot accept that! You cannot fight communalism with communalism! Let us unite all communities to protect the framework of our nation. To defeat the divisive forces bent on destroying the country, the INDIA alliance, workers, and the people must absolutely come together. Jai Hind,” he wrote on X.

Why did Chandra Kumar Bose quit BJP? Bose, who had joined BJP in 2016, resigned in 2023, citing a lack of support for his ideological and strategic vision within the party. In his letter addressed to JP Nadda, the then BJP president, with copies to PM Modi and home minister Amit Shah, Bose explained that he had joined the BJP inspired by Modi’s leadership and development agenda, with the intent to promote the inclusive ideology of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. However, his vision did not get any support from the party.

He said his goal was to establish an ‘Azad Hind Morcha’ within the party to unite people beyond religion, caste, and creed. However, Bose expressed disappointment that his efforts received no backing from the party leadership at either the central or West Bengal levels.

Bose also revealed that his detailed proposals, including a Bengal-specific outreach strategy, were ignored. As he stated, “My own ardent promotional efforts to achieve these laudable objectives have not received any support from the BJP… My proposals were ignored.”

He concluded that under such circumstances, it had become impossible for him to continue in the party in good conscience.

Recently, Netaji's grandnephew was in news when the freedom fighter' s cap had gone missing from the museum at Red Fort. Later, the Archaeological Survey of India had clarified that the cap is safe and was recently taken to Port Blair for an exhibition.

However, in a later social media post, Bose said that individuals familiar with the original artifact believe the restored cap does not appear authentic, and he called for a thorough investigation and proper verification of the item.