Kolkata: Wading into the escalating controversy over remarks made about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose by Rajya Sabha MP Ananta Maharaj, veteran BJP neta Tathagata Roy has launched an attack on his own party’s Bengal leadership. Questioning whether BJP’s central leadership was even aware of the matter, Roy warned that continuous insults to one of Bengal’s greatest icons could permanently alienate the state’s voters.Ananta Maharaj recently questioned Netaji’s role in the freedom struggle and the capabilities of Azad Hind Fauj.“Is the central BJP leadership aware that MP Ananta Maharaj has been saying downright objectionable things about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose? Three personalities are considered above reproach to Bengali Hindus: Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhas. Anyone who tinkers with these three will bring forth the wrath of Bengali Hindus,” Roy wrote on X.Roy told TOI, “Whatever Ananta Maharaj is saying is demeaning towards Netaji. He is deliberately doing it to create differences between Bengalis and Rajbanshis.”Netaji researchers Anuj Dhar and Chandrachud Ghose have been vocal against the remarks by Ananta Maharaj. Replying to Roy’s post on X, Dhar wrote, “Subhas Bose has the most unique position in India. No one could unite Indians the way he did. To show him any disrespect is to disrespect India.”Posting some memes and pictures about Netaji, Ghose on Thursday wrote on X: “This is what is going on in Bengal for the past one month. It is a follow-up campaign of the outrageous and extremely insulting comments of Nagendra Ray (Ananta Maharaj) of Cooch Behar, by his followers and the GCPA.”Saying that the state govt was in “slumber”, Roy accused state BJP netas of developing “a skin so thick that nothing other than petty power politics bothers them.” Ghose wrote, “This continuous slander and its defence by Bengal BJP has generated such disgust for the party netas among common people that it is doubtful if any of them will ever be allowed to take the name of Netaji in public ever again.”Reacting to this, Forward Bloc national general secretary G Devarajan said the party had been trying to counter false campaigns. “No BJP neta in other states issues such statements. Netaji’s statue was unveiled at Kartavya Path in 2022. PM Modi has referred to Netaji as the first Prime Minister… Jan 23 has been declared Parakram Divas. How can netas in Bengal issue statements which are derogatory to Netaji? I have sent a letter to BJP’s national president Nitin Navin regarding that,” Devarajan said.
