Modi pays tribute to Subhas Chandra Bose on birth anniversary

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (23) paid floral tributes to the country’s iconic freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 125th birth anniversary in the Central Hall of the Indian parliament in New Delhi.

Bose was born in Cuttack in the modern-day state of Odisha on January 23, 1897.

Earlier in the day, Modi said in his tributes to Bose that every Indian is proud of his monumental contribution to the nation.

“Wishing all the countrymen a very Happy Parakram Diwas. My respectful tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 125th birth anniversary. I bow to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his Jayanti. Every Indian is proud of his monumental contribution to our nation,” he said in a tweet.

Last year, the Narendra Modi government had declared that January 23 will be observed as Parakram Divas to commemorate the birth anniversary of Bose, who is fondly known as ‘Netaji’ (the leader), who played a crucial role in India’s freedom struggle.

The government also decided to kick off the country’s Republic Day celebrations of January 26 from January 23 to include Bose’s birth anniversary. The celebrations will conclude on January 30, the day Mahatma Gandhi, called India’s ‘father of the nation’, was assassinated in 1948.

On Friday (21), Modi said a grand granite statue of Bose will be installed at India Gate in the capital soon. He also said till the time the work for the granite-made “grand statue” of Netaji is completed, a hologram statue would be installed at the same place.

The statue would be 28 feet in height and six feet in breadth.