Netaji hologram not viable, put up a plaque for now, says grand nephew Chandra Bose

There was uproar after the hologram was switched off due to bad weather

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s hologram at India Gate, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wasn’t a viable option, said Chandra Bose, Netaji’s grand nephew, recommending a course correction and placing a plaque till the proposed granite statue is placed.

“Was due diligence done before the idea was accepted and considered as an option? It’s an open area, and weather conditions could be adverse at times,” Chandra told Deccan Herald.

Chandra said that while it’s evident that there is a technical flaw, somebody should take responsibility and mend what has gone wrong. “It can’t just disappear. How can you say that the hologram is going to be there till the statue is installed?” he said.

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On Thursday, Trinamool MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Saugata Roy, Nadimul Haque, Jawhar Sircar, Shanta Chetri and Mausam Noor protested before the canopy at India Gate where the hologram was no longer available.

“AITC MPs protesting outside the spot where (the) BJP government tried and failed. Don’t blackout Netaji. Let there be light. Why has Netaji been kept in the dark?” Derek O’Brien, Trinamool’s MP in Rajya Sabha tweeted. The MPs carried placards with phrases, “Don’t black out Netaji”, “Let there be light”, “Why has Netaji been kept in the dark”.

“Where is the proof that the PM unveiled a hologram at the spot? I suggest that a foundation stone be laid to say that an actual granite statue is being built and will be placed at the spot. There has to be some kind of evidence,” Chandra said.

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The politics surrounding Netaji is still on. “I feel Netaji should not be used as a political tool by any political party. Since the tableau issue (when the Centre excluded Bengal’s tableau on Netaji from the Republic Day function) began, we are finding that it’s not dying down. All political parties are jumping into the fray and trying to use Netaji as a political tool. This is highly regrettable and very unfortunate. But Netaji statue was inaugurated, and it just cannot disappear,” Chandra said.

Chandra, as a member of the high-level committee on Netaji, is writing to the Prime Minister expressing his dissatisfaction with the state of affairs concerning Netaji’s statue. “This issue should be taken into account. The spot is still vacant,” he said.

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