Bengal BJP softens stand on Ananta Maharaj after his apology over Netaji remarks

Kolkata: BJP's West Bengal leadership on Friday appeared to take a softer stand on the party MP Nagendranath Roy, aka Ananta Maharaj, after the Rajya Sabha member issued a public apology in the wake of the growing heat he continued to face within and outside his party for his alleged derogatory remarks about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari described Roy's apology statement as a "positive development", while adding that the MP had committed an act "that was unforgivable".

That remark notwithstanding, the Cooch Behar police filed an FIR against Roy for his remarks on Netaji.


Adhikari's statement came a day after the state government withdrew and annulled Banga Bibhushan, the state's highest civilian award, previously bestowed upon Roy in the wake of his controversial remarks about the iconic freedom fighter.

Commenting on Roy's apology, Adhikari said, "I think this should be viewed positively. He has committed an unforgivable act. However, he is an elderly person and a senior citizen."

"The law will take its own course. FIRs have been filed under various sections. Police have arrested five people so far. As many as 282 social media posts with derogatory remarks about Netaji have been deleted. Those Facebook accounts have been shut down following action by the state police. A total of six FIRs have been filed," he added.

Regretting his earlier remarks about Netaji, Roy posted a 17-second video on his Facebook page at around midnight on Thursday carrying the caption, 'Video message expressing respect for Netaji'.

"With respect for Netaji, I would like to state that if anyone was emotionally hurt by any inadvertent remarks I made about Netaji, I sincerely apologise," Roy said.

Speaking in Bhabanipur on Friday, the CM said, "Considering his age, I would say that what he posted from his Facebook account should be viewed positively. He himself has said that he will be more careful with his comments in the future. That is a good thing."

The chief minister had earlier directed police to take stringent action, including making arrests, against those making derogatory remarks about Netaji on social media, and said the law would apply equally to MPs, MLAs and government officials.

Adhikari's direction to police came days after Ananta Maharaj described Netaji as a "war criminal" and questioned his leadership and the role of the Azad Hind Fauj in India's freedom struggle. Roy hails from Cooch Behar in the northern part of the state and is a leader of the Rajbanshi community.

Claiming that Netaji "did not have the capability to organise and raise an army like the Azad Hind Fauj", Roy had said the army was actually a unit of British-Indian soldiers handed over by Germany and that Bose had "misused the INA".

Till Thursday, Roy had stuck to his ground, saying his observations about Bose were matters of public record.

"Whatever I have said about Netaji is not my words. It's officially documented and is there in the national archives for all to see. Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister of the country at the time. Whether those documents are true or false, it is up to the Congress to answer," he had told reporters in Parliament.

"If there were any records in the public sphere which said Netaji had liberated India from the British Raj, I would be the first to consider him God. Unfortunately, there is no such document known to me," he went on to add.

Siliguri MLA and minister Shankar Ghosh, who has remained a frontrunner in countering Roy's statements, said his apology should bring closure to the controversy.

"If someone admits their mistake, then society and I should be equally generous. We should respect his acknowledgement of the mistake and tendering of an apology. This is not a battle of egos. Nor is it necessarily good to arrest someone. I think he has admitted his mistake and that should be the end of it. One should not make comments on sensitive issues that could create unnecessary controversy," Ghosh said.