I Wrote to PM Modi Three Times to Bring Back Netaji’s Ashes but Got No Reply: Anita Bose Pfaff

I wrote to PM Modi three times to bring back Netaji's ashes but got no reply: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's daughter, Anita Bose Pfaff, to Karan Thapar for The Wire.

.........................................


Anita Bose Pfaff, Netaji’s daughter and heir, has said that she has written to Prime Minister Modi three times to seek his support to bring back her father’s ashes to India but not only did she not get a reply she got no acknowledgement either. Prof. Pfaff says that when she was invited for the unveiling of Netaji’s statue in the India Gate area of Delhi in 2022 she said she would be willing to come if she could get an appointment with the Prime Minister to discuss the bringing back of her father’s ashes but, even on that occasion, there was no response.



In a 20-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Prof. Pfaff revealed that she has also sought an appointment with the present President of India and, on this occasion, she got an answer turning down her request. This appointment was also sought to discuss the bringing back of her father’s remains to India.



However, the present Prime Minister and President are not the only people who have either refused to acknowledge her letters or grant her an appointment. Prof. Pfaff says she also wrote to Dr. Manmohan Singh when he was Prime Minister and on that occasion also did not get a reply.



Now, yesterday, the 23rd of January, Netaji’s 129th birth anniversary, Prof. Pfaff has issued a video message seeking the support of the Indian people to bring back her father’s mortal remains from Japan to India. She says in the interview that she would like the Indian people to write letters to the government and to the Prime Minister and also to petition them for their help in bringing back the mortal remains of Netaji.



Prof. Pfaff says the one thing Netaji feared most of all was exile from India and it’s a paradox that even 78 years after India got independence his mortal remains are effectively in exile from the country he loved. Prof. Pfaff said Netaji would be “very upset” about this.


Join The Wire's Youtube Membership and get exclusive content, member-only emojis, live interaction with The Wire's founders, editors and reporters and much more. Memberships to The Wire Crew start at Rs 89/month.    / @thewirenews