Partial declassification of Subhas Chandra Bose files by earlier government: Kiren Rijiju

PANCHKULA: Only "partial declassification" of files pertaining to Subhas Chandra Bose has been done by the earlier government and all facts pertaining to him will be put in public domain as and when they emerge, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju today said.

"The declassification of some part of the files related to Bose, which has been done, that has not been done by our government. Earlier government had declassified it and through this things are coming out. So, how are we leaking it. So far, only partial declassification has been done," he told reporters here on the sidelines of a function.

Asked if the Narendra Modi government will declassify the whole thing, he replied, "what is needed to be done, we will definitely do that."

Intelligence Bureau had kept relatives of Bose under close surveillance for two decades, most of which was during Jawaharlal Nehru's tenure as Prime Minister, according to an archival material, which recently set off a political controversy.

To a question, Rijiju said "we will get in touch with all agencies and take full information (pertaining to Bose)".

"Any facts which will come out pertaining to him (Bose), we will inform the public about it," he said.

The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs also took a dig at opposition Congress, which had levelled charges of "snooping" on party's vice president Rahul Gandhi.

About Rahul Gandhi, he said, "it was a normal routine check, but they (Congress) say we are snooping, even when it is a normal routine thing."

"Our nation respects Subhas Chandra Bose as a tall freedom fighter. And when things come to fore that (Pt Jawaharlal) Nehru ji sought information about him (Bose), did snooping and had intelligence sleuths behind him, then Congress people have no answer to that and they try to sidestep the issue."

Earlier, the minister addressed a seminar organised by Forum for Awareness of National Security (FANS), on the topic "Drug trade and its implications on national security" and "Abuse of women: Challenges and responses".