By: Shreepal Singh
Who was the first Prime Minister of India – India that was made free from the yoke of British Imperialism, whatever size of the piece of land of that free India might have been?
Certainly, it was not Jawahar Lal Nehru. Let us correct the history for the posterity.
The first Prime Minister of India was Subhash Chandra Bose, fondly called by Indian people Netaji – that is, the Leader. Bose had announced the formation of Provisional Government of India on 21 October 1943. A cabinet of Ministers was duly formed, which was headed by Subhash Chandra Bose himself.
This free Indian Government was recognized by 11 countries as the legal and legitimate Government of India, which countries included Japan and Germany. This provisional government of India in exile had its operating headquarters in Singapore.
What are the normal tell-tale signs of a real government? The government must have a “Head” who may have his team to assist him in governance; the government must enjoy an international recognition, may be even by only one foreign nation; it must have a seat – a place – to operate from. In fact, these are the only requirements for a legal and legitimate government in the view of international law. However, the government of free India headed by Subhash Chandra Bose had more than these minimum requirements.
This first government of free India led by Subhash Chandra Bose at its head had its own army with the combined strength of rank and file of about 40, 000. It had several brigades nicknamed “Rani Jhansi” and some other patriotic names. It was called Azad Hind Fauz – that is, Indian National Army. This government had also got printed “Indian Passports”, which fact was testified by the deputy of Bose in his statement to the British (after he was captured by the British on the fall of Berlin in WW2).
But it had the most important element of a government – a piece of land, under its control. The army of this government had launched an offensive against the British forces at Andaman and Nicobar island, defeated the enemy there, hoisted the Indian flag – Tiranga – at the main seat of power in that piece of Indian land and had flung open the gates of Cellular Jail, where mostly political prisoners – REAL freedom fighters, and not make make-believe freedom fighters – were incarcerated by the British. All these prisoners were liberated by the Indian National Army.
Not only this Indian land – Andaman Nicobar – was liberated by the Indian National Army, this army entered the mainland India through Moreh point ( at Indo-Myanmar boarder) and fought the enemy at Imphal – where now a cemetray of the killed British military officers lie. It was judged the MOST FIERCE battle during the entire WW2 that the British forces had to face at the hands of Indian National Army.
On the crucial date commemorating their battle, the British bigwig military officers come to pay their homage to the fallen British soldiers. This cemetery displays an engraved stone that reads: “When you go home, remember that we died today for your tomorrow”.
It is a shame for India and Indian government that here there is no place in free India for the fallen soldiers of Indian National Army “Who died, so that India is delivered from slavery”.
Prime Minister of India, Subhash Chandra Bose, addressing the Indian people on radio:
