Netaji was ready to forget his differences with Gandhi and line behind Congress

Prayagraj: Even as the entire nation, and many other countries of the world, celebrated the birth anniversary of Subhash Chandra Bose on Monday, few know about his association with the Sangam city which has also been witnessed to the patriotic and accommodating ideologies of Netaji as he was ready to forget his differences with Gandhi and line behind Congress, especially at time when he had just formed the Forward Bloc after resigning as president of Congress.
Detailing on his visit to the Sangam city, on September 29, 1939, former head of the department of Medieval and Modern History of Allahabad University, Prof Yogeshwar Tiwari, of the department of Medieval and Modern History, AU said, “What Bose said at Allahabad, although not known by many, is remarkable and could be termed as a milestone in understanding his nature of accommodating others thought for the cause of nation”. It was here on this soil that Bose had said that, “If only the Congress took up the struggle, all differences would vanish. There are only two alternatives left— united struggle or united surrender”, informed Tiwari.
Subhash Chandra Bose was elected President of the Haripura Congress Session in 1938 and the presidential election to the Tripuri (Jabalpur) Congress session took place in early 1939 where Bose was re-elected, defeating Dr Pattabhi Sitaramayya, who had been backed by Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress Working Committee. Soon after the election, the members of the Congress Working Committee resigned. Congress again met at Tripuri where Bose warned that an imperialist war would break out in Europe within six months and Congress should deliver a six-month’ ultimatum to Britain and in the event of its rejection, a country-wide struggle for ‘Poorna Swaraj’ should be launched.
But, his warning and advice went unheeded, and what was worse, his powers as President were sought to be curtailed. He, therefore, resigned in April 1939, and announced, in May 1939, the formation of the Forward Bloc within the Congress. Regarding Bose’s visit to the city, Prof Tiwari informed that the visit started with a flag hoisting ceremony at Manmohan park of Katra on September 30, 1939.
He then addressed the University Leveller’s society at the Holland Hall where he, while emphasising on the war, had said, “The first duty of Indian, and of Indian youth in particular, in such a crisis was not to surrender and not to allow the nation to surrender and he warned people against the acceptance of a compromise as a half-way house towards Poorna Swaraj”, informed Prof Tiwari. On being asked, by a student named Ram Naresh Shukla, that did he believed that the party within a political party, as the Forward Bloc in the congress, could exist, Bose said that he has already made it clear that the ‘left’ was so keen on the question of reviving the struggle that they were prepared to forget all minor differences and line themselves behind CWC.
Bose also addressed the students at the Senate Hall of AU wherein he appealed to the youngsters and said, “It was not the time to sit down and wait, the time has come when the public should take the initiative and give expression to their opinion”. He had also visited the Nagvasuki temple at Daraganj locality, he informed.