The Hindu : National : AIFB joins issue with Krishna Bose

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Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005

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National

AIFB joins issue with Krishna Bose

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 7. The All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) today joined issue with a close relative of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose for making a statement contrary to a recent report that no aircraft had crashed during August 1945 in Taiwan.

"It is deplorable that soon after this information was made public by Justice M.K. Mukherjee, heading the inquiry commission, [Krishna Bose] former MP and widow of Sisir Bose, nephew of Netaji, reiterated there was no doubt that Subhas Bose had died after the plane in which he was travelling had crashed at Taihuku airport in Taiwan,'' the AIFB general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP, Debabrata Biswas, said.

Addressing a press conference along with Subrata Bose, MP and brother of Sisir Bose, the AIFB general secretary said that both Ms. Bose and her husband had written to the Mukherjee Commission that they had no information or knowledge on the subject to share with the Commission and that they be excused from appearance.

Mr. Subrata Bose said he had been closely associated with the Mukherjee Commission that visited Taiwan last month. He said the Taiwanese authorities had confirmed there was no plane crash at the Taihoku airport on August 18, 1945 and promised to send documentary evidence on the basis of which they gave this information to the Commission.

`A new turn'

The AIFB leaders said that barring Ms. Bose, all other members of Netaji's family were cooperating with the Commission and welcome the information provided by the Government of Taiwan. "This is a new turn,'' they said, adding that while every person had a right to own belief, to say with certainness that Netaji had died in the air crash was not proper.

They said that though the previous National Democratic Alliance Government had instituted an inquiry, it had not given any support and the probe began after the advent of the United Progressive Alliance Government. But Mr. Biswas charged that the Government was not providing access to classified information on the ground that it was against national interest.

He said that beside making available documents sought by the Commission, it should also be allowed to visit Russia since there were reports that Netaji had been in the former Soviet Union in 1946 and also extended the term of the panel, due to expire on May 15, by another six months.

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