In a veiled attack at the Nehru-Gandhi family, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that to highlight the 'efforts of one family', the contributions of others including Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Bhim Rao Ambedkar and Subhash Chandra Bose were ignored.
Adressing an event at the the historic Red Fort to mark the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of the 'Azad Hind Sarkar' by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, PM Modi said:"In an effort to highlight the role of one family, efforts were made to deliberately ignore and forget contributions made by others in the independence struggle, and later in creating a new India," he said. These leaders included Sardar Patel, Bhim Rao Ambedkar and Subhash Chandra Bose".
"But now our government is changing all that", the Prime Minister added.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi donning the famous Azad Hind Fauj cap, the Prime Minister hoisted the national flag at the Red Fort and unveiled a plaque to mark the anniversary.
The plaque will be placed at barrack number three at the Red Fort where members of the Azad Hind Fauj faced trial. A museum will be also set up in the barrack.
Modi lamented that post Independence, India's policies were based on the British system as "things were seen through British glasses".
"Policies, including those related to education had to suffer because of this," he said.
He said while Bose focused on the East and Northeast India, the two regions did not get due recognition.
Now, he said, his government is working to make the Northeast the "engine of growth".
Hailing Bose's spirit of nationalism, Modi said as a 16-year old, he was aggrieved at the plight of India under the British rule.
"His ideology was nationalism, he lived by nationalism," the PM said.
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