By Muslim Mirror Staff
New Delhi: On 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on Saturday, his Germany-based daughter Prof. Dr. Anita Bose Pfaff said that he was a devout Hindu but was ”tolerant towards all other religions”.
“He inspired his followers — members of the Indian National Army, his friends and his family — to respect other religions and yet be very religious himself,” Pfaff said in a video message posted on the official Twitter handle of the Indian consulate general in Munich.
She added that Netaji envisaged an India that would be “modern, enlightened and, at the same time, deeply rooted in history, philosophy and religious traditions”, she said.
“I hope we can all take inspiration from Netaji’s ideas and ideals. I salute you in these efforts. Jai Hind.”
Indian government and state administrations have organised several events on this occasion. They all lauded his efforts to make India an independent country.
In Kolkata, Netaji’s grandnephew and former Trinamool MP Sugata Bose said it was more important to follow Netaji and Gandhiji’s ideals of uniting all castes and communities than giving his birth anniversary a particular tag.
“What is important is not how we rename his birth anniversary…Personally, I am not too fond of the term Parakram Diwas. I much prefer Deshanayak Diwas,” Sugata Bose said after seeing off PM Narendra Modi after his visit to Netaji’s Elgin Road residence.