Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose can be called the ‘first & last prime minister of undivided and united India’, a kin of the freedom fighter said on Tuesday.
The observation of Chandra Bose, Netaji’s grand nephew, came days after actor-politician Kangana Ranaut’s claim that Subhas Chandra Bose was the “first prime minister of India”.
After being criticized for the comment from several quarters, Ranaut later stated that Bose had declared himself as the PM of 'Azad Hind' in 1943.
“Netaji could be labelled as the first and last PM of undivided and united India, and not the PM of a partitioned India. He did not declare himself as the PM but was made so in the Azad Hind government in exile,” Chandra Bose told reporters.
Netaji announced formation of the Azad Hind Provisional Government on October 21, 1943, in Singapore.
In a video clip which surfaced recently, Ranaut was purportedly heard saying: "When we gained Independence where did the first prime minister of India Subhas Chandra Bose go?” Chandra Bose praised Ranaut for her acting prowess but said she could have checked the fact before making the statement.