Bose’s commitment to Hindu-Muslim unity is truly admirable| But why can’t so many Bengali intellectuals — not all luckily — see the damming flaws of this great man? Why can’t they acknowledge that there was no defense of Bose embracing Hitler, who killed 6 million Jews? (1/n) https://twitter.com/kaushikcbasu/status/1353168015970471938

It is also clear that two other great leaders of the time — Gandhi and Nehru — never embraced Hitler, even though Hitler’s enemy was the same as their enemy: the British | They did not adopt Bose’s view that the enemy of the enemy was a friend, even if he was a mass killer| (2/b)

Whatever Bengali political leaders — and Hindu nationalists — want to do with Bose, how can intellectuals simply expel Bose’s alliance with fascists as a mere footnote from his political biography? Which other intellectuals made that mistake about fascism - Carl Schmitt? (3/n)

Why do Hindu nationalists want to celebrate Bose? It can’t be because of his undeniable commitment to secularism and Hindu-Muslim unity. It can only be because (a) he broke away from Gandhi’s non-violence and (b) he embraced Hitler. Of course, Bengal elections are to be won.(n/n)