THE AZAD HIND GOVERNMENT: A SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL ENTITY

Actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut recently made a statement that Subhash Chandra Bose, not Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, was the first prime minister of India.

Subhash Chandra Bose's provincial government, which served as an alternative to the British government, sought recognition from the international community, issued stamps, currency and passports, and established courts.

1. Subhash Chandra Bose established a provincial government of Azad Hind (Free India) in Singapore on October 21, 1943.
2. The historical records do point to the fact that Bose established a provincial government of Azad Hind (Free India) in Singapore on October 21, 1943.
3. During the time of World War II, Bose saw an opportunity to win India from the British, and set up the ‘Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind’, which was supported by the Axis Power of Japan, Nazi Germany, Italy and their allies.
4. Bose appointed himself as the prime minister and minister of war, AC Chatterjee was in charge of finance, SA Ayer became minister of publicity and propaganda, and Lakshmi Swaminathan was given the ministry of women’s affairs.
5. Bose’s provincial government, which served as an alternative to the British government, sought recognition from the international community, issued stamps, currency and passports, and established courts.
6. The Azad Hind Government proclaimed authority over Indian civilians and military personnel in the regions of Southeast Asia (Burma, Singapore and Malaya) then occupied by the British.

Bose’s government was diplomatically recognized by the Axis powers, and Japanese states in Croatia, China, Thailand, Burma, Manchuria and the Philippines.

FAQs:

Q1: What is the Indian National Army (INA)?

1. It was founded by Mohan Singh on 1 September 1942 in Southeast Asia during World War II.
2. It fought under the command of the Japanese military in the British campaign in the Southeast Asian theatre of WWII, with its aim to secure Indian independence from British rule.
3. The army was first formed in 1942 under Mohan Singh by Indian prisoners of war (PoWs) of the British Indian Army captured by Japan in the Malayan campaign and at Singapore.
4. This first INA, which had been handed over to Rash Behari Bose and Mohan Singh, collapsed and was disbanded in December that year after differences between its leadership and the Japanese military over its role in Japan's war in Asia.
5. The INA was handed over to Subhas Chandra Bose. It was revived under the leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose after his arrival in Southeast Asia in 1943.
6. The army was declared to be the army of Bose's Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind (the Provisional Government of Free India).

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