CM Dhami pays tribute to revolutionary Ras Bihari Bose on birth anniversary
Synopsis
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid tribute to revolutionary leader Ras Bihari Bose on his birth anniversary on 25 May 2026, honouring the organiser of the Azad Hind Fauj and his decades-long struggle for India's independence from British rule.
Key Takeaways
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami posted a tribute to Ras Bihari Bose on his birth anniversary, 25 May 2026 .
Ras Bihari Bose organised the first Azad Hind Fauj in 1942 in Southeast Asia with Japanese support.
He handed command of the INA to Subhas Chandra Bose in 1943 .
The Government of India held commemorative programmes in 2018 marking the 75th anniversary of the INA's formation.
Since 2014 , BJP governments have regularly issued social-media tributes to non-Congress revolutionaries as part of a broader effort to expand the independence-era pantheon.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday, 25 May 2026 paid tribute to revolutionary leader Ras Bihari Bose on his birth anniversary, honouring the freedom fighter's role in organising the Azad Hind Fauj and his lifelong struggle against British rule.
Context
Posting on X in Hindi, CM Dhami described Ras Bihari Bose as a 'mahan krantikari' (great revolutionary) and 'rashtrabhakt' (patriot), saying his 'unparalleled struggle, visionary leadership and dedication for the freedom of the motherland will always be inscribed in golden letters in Indian history.' The post accompanied an image marking the occasion.
Ras Bihari Bose was born on 25 May 1886. His birth anniversary is observed annually by political leaders and historians who regard him as one of the less-celebrated architects of India's independence movement.
Policy Backdrop
Ras Bihari Bose was a central figure in the 1915 Ghadar conspiracy, a coordinated armed uprising against British rule. After the plot was suppressed, he fled to Japan, where he spent decades building networks in support of Indian independence. In 1942, he founded the Indian Independence League and organised the first formation of the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) with Japanese support in Southeast Asia.
In 1943, he handed command of the INA to Subhas Chandra Bose, who led its campaigns against British forces. In 2018, the Government of India announced commemorative programmes marking the 75th anniversary of the INA's formation, reflecting renewed official recognition of Ras Bihari Bose's contribution.
Stakeholders and Impact
Since 2014, BJP governments at the central and state levels have issued regular social-media tributes to non-Congress revolutionaries including Ras Bihari Bose, Bhagat Singh, and Chandrashekhar Azad. These posts form part of a broader effort to expand the recognised pantheon of independence heroes beyond narratives centred on the Congress-led freedom movement.
CM Dhami's post on 25 May follows this established pattern, with similar tributes typically appearing from multiple BJP state units on the same date each year. Nationalist historians and educators have welcomed the renewed public attention to Ras Bihari Bose's legacy, which for decades received less institutional recognition than that of his contemporaries.
What's Next
Similar tributes from other BJP chief ministers and central government leaders are expected on 25 May each year as the party continues its calendar of revolutionary anniversaries. State-level exhibitions or educational events on INA history in cities such as Dehradun or Haridwar remain a possibility as the government deepens its engagement with this strand of independence history.
The annual commemoration underscores a sustained political and cultural project to ensure that figures like Ras Bihari Bose — whose contributions unfolded largely outside India's borders — occupy a more prominent place in the national memory.
Point of View
Bhagat Singh, and Chandrashekhar Azad, the party seeks to reframe the nationalist narrative on its own terms. The gesture carries symbolic weight beyond social media, reinforcing a political identity rooted in armed resistance and sacrifice rather than negotiated constitutionalism. Over time, this annual calendar of tributes is quietly reshaping which names schoolchildren, historians, and policymakers are expected to know.
NationPress
11 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Ras Bihari Bose?
Ras Bihari Bose was an Indian revolutionary born on 25 May 1886 who organised the 1915 Ghadar conspiracy against British rule, later fled to Japan, and founded the Azad Hind Fauj in 1942 before handing command to Subhas Chandra Bose in 1943.
What is the Azad Hind Fauj?
The Azad Hind Fauj, also known as the Indian National Army (INA), was an armed force formed in 1942 in Southeast Asia with Japanese support, aimed at fighting British colonial rule and securing India's independence.
Why did CM Dhami pay tribute to Ras Bihari Bose?
25 May is the birth anniversary of Ras Bihari Bose, and CM Dhami posted a tribute honouring his role as a revolutionary, patriot, and organiser of the Azad Hind Fauj.
What is the BJP's approach to honouring independence-era revolutionaries?
Since 2014, BJP governments at the centre and in states have regularly issued social-media tributes to non-Congress revolutionaries such as Ras Bihari Bose, Bhagat Singh, and Chandrashekhar Azad, as part of a broader effort to expand the recognised pantheon of freedom fighters.
What did the Government of India do to commemorate Ras Bihari Bose?
In 2018, the Government of India announced commemorative programmes marking the 75th anniversary of the formation of the Indian National Army, in which Ras Bihari Bose played a foundational role.
