Commenting on news items appearing in a section of press today qua alleged snooping on family of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Shri Anand Sharma, Deputy Leader, Rajya Sabha and Senior Spokesperson, AICC issued the following statement to the press:-

“News reports suggesting snooping of family of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose are motivated news plants based on selective and mischievous leaks. BJP and Government are running a sinister campaign of innuendoes, insinuations and selective leaks aimed at maligning National icons and our founding fathers including Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru, S. Vallabbhai Patel, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri, Shri Govind Ballabh Pant and others.

Such motivated half truths and untruths are being floated in the media by Modi Government with the sole aim of diverting the attention of people of India from miserable performance, betrayal of mandate and failed promises of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, whose Government will be completing its first year in power in May, 2015.

As selective leaks of Netaji’s family being snooped upon by Intelligence Bureau (IB) between 1948-68 at the behest of Pt. Nehru have fallen flat, BJP is planting another mischievous but contradictory story about snooping resulting on account of Pt. Nehru writing to the then Foreign Secretary on 25th November, 1957 enquiring about the visit of Shri Amiya Bose (Netaji’s nephew) to Tokyo. While this news plant on one hand contradicts the earlier media story of IB surveillance, one is forced to wonder as to how and why an enquiry by a Prime Minister – in most transparent manner and vide written note sent through the proper channel of Foreign Secretary and Ambassador – about a close associate of a family can be construed as snooping or espionage.

Moreover, Netaji’s grandnephew and MP, Dr. Sugato Bose has already rubbished and rejected the BJP floated theories of Netaji’s alleged return causing a political challenge to Pt. Nehru, S. Vallabbhai Patel, Shri C. Rajagopalachari, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri and others. In a section of the press, Dr. Sugato Bose is clearly quoted today to state, “There is also no evidence to suggest that it was ordered by Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru”. Dr. Sugato Bose, MP has also spoken about the intimate relationship shared between the ‘Bose family’ and the ‘Nehru family’.

Entire exercise is a diversionary tactic and gimmick on part of Prime Minister and BJP Government to again befool the people. Unfortunately, Modi Government is indulging in extremely dangerous, petty and ridiculous means.

On behalf of Indian National Congress, we reject the vitriolic and diabolical design of Modi Government to defame National icons and dare the Prime Minister to declassify all documents, put them in public domain and debate the issue on the floor of Parliament. We also appeal to the media at large to refrain from pushing forward the BJP Government’s innuendoes and insinuation driven diversionary agenda.”

ANAND SHARMA