Fri Jan 24 03:16:07 UTC 2025: ## Bengal Politicians Criticize Rahul Gandhi’s Netaji Bose Post
**Kolkata, January 24, 2025** – West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have sharply criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for a social media post marking the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Gandhi’s post, featuring a photograph of Bose and the dates “January 23, 1897 – August 18, 1945,” has drawn ire for mentioning the date widely believed to be the date of Bose’s death in a plane crash in Taiwan.
Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh stated the post was “wrong and unacceptable,” emphasizing the ongoing debate surrounding the circumstances of Bose’s disappearance. West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar echoed the criticism, demanding an apology from Gandhi within 24 hours for allegedly showing “disrespect” to Bose, whom he referred to as India’s first Prime Minister. Majumdar called on Netaji’s followers to support his demand.
The controversy highlights the ongoing debate surrounding Bose’s death. While a segment of his family, including his daughter Anita Bose Pfaf, accepts the August 18, 1945, plane crash theory, others maintain he survived. This annual debate often sees political figures embroiled in controversy over the date mentioned in relation to his death. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has previously highlighted the discrepancy between the widespread awareness of Bose’s birth anniversary and the lack of clarity surrounding his death. The All India Forward Bloc, founded by Bose, also rejects the plane crash theory. Further adding to the complexity, some family members, including a grandnephew, continue to press for the return of Bose’s ashes from Japan’s Renkoji temple.
First Piper 