CM Mohan Yadav Salutes Azad Hind Fauj on Founding Anniversary
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
On the 83rd founding anniversary of the Azad Hind Fauj, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav paid tribute on Wednesday, 21 October 2026 to the soldiers who staked everything on India's freedom — invoking the indomitable spirit of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the army he built to break the back of British colonial rule.
Posting in Hindi, Dr. Yadav offered what he called 'koti-koti naman' — 'salutations in the millions' — to the warriors of the Azad Hind Fauj, writing that under Netaji's leadership the force gave India's independence struggle 'indomitable courage, unbreakable resolve, and a fresh energy of patriotism.'
The Army That Dared to March on Delhi
The Azad Hind Fauj — formally the Indian National Army (INA) — was established on 21 October 1943, when Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose proclaimed a provisional government of free India in Singapore, challenging the legitimacy of British authority from outside India's borders. Recruiting largely from Indian prisoners of war and the Indian diaspora in Southeast Asia, the force fought alongside Japanese troops in the Burma campaign, reaching the Indian frontier at Kohima and Imphal before the tide of World War II turned against the Axis powers.
What the INA lacked in ultimate military success it more than compensated for in symbolic force. The subsequent treason trials of its officers in Delhi's Red Fort galvanised Indian public opinion and rattled the British establishment — widely regarded by historians as one of the final nails in the coffin of the Raj.
Netaji in the National Memory
Subhas Chandra Bose occupies a singular place in Indian political memory — a figure claimed across the ideological spectrum for his uncompromising demand for complete independence and his willingness to seek any alliance to achieve it. His birth anniversary, 23 January, is observed nationally as Parakram Diwas ('Day of Courage'), a designation formalised to keep his legacy in the public calendar year-round.
For state leaders, commemorating the INA's founding is standard political practice — but it is also a genuine touchstone. The Azad Hind Fauj anniversary bridges regional and national identity: its soldiers came from every corner of the subcontinent, and their sacrifice is understood as collectively owned.