‘Nehru’s letter’ to Attlee says Netaji on Russian soil; Cong calls it fake

New Delhi, January 23

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A letter allegedly written by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru dated four months after a plane crash supposedly killed revolutionary leader Subhas Chandra Bose claims the leader had been allowed into the Russian territory.

The letter, dated December 27, 1945, is addressed to Britain’s then Prime Minister Clement Attlee and says: “Dear Mr Attlee, I understand from reliable sources that Subhas Chandra Bose, your war criminal, has been allowed to enter Russian territory by Stalin. This is a clear treachery and betrayal of faith by the Russians as Russia has been an ally of the British-Americans, which she should not have done. Please take note of it and do what you consider proper and fit." The letter is signed: "Yours Sincerely, Jawaharlal Nehru".

The letter is believed to be among the 100 files on Bose, popularly known as 'Netaji, declassified by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.  

The Congress promptly claimed the letter was a fake and called its release a diversionary tactic by the BJP government at the Centre.

“This mischief is a targeted one to mislead people and try to belittle the great achievements of stalwarts of the freedom struggle. The Congress will expose and take action against this mischievous fake letter,” he said.

 “We will take all measures to punish people once identified. Whoever is taking ownership must come forward,” he said, accusing the Central Government of trying to make political gains by using Bose’s name.

“The way this matter has been brought to the limelight raises several questions on ruling dispensation's intentions,” Sharma added.

Bose's death has been a subject of great speculation: the official version is that the leader died in a plane crash on August 18, 1947, in Taipei, but many disbelieve the account, including some of the leader's own kin.

Letters made public by the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal last year is believed to suggest that the then ruling Congress government kept surveillance checks on Bose’s family for many years after his reported death, although the Congress party denies these claims.—  Agencies