BJP leader and former Assembly Deputy Speaker Rama Chandra Panda submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to declassify the files relating to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Jayaprakash Narayan.
Significantly, Panda is the author of a book on Netaji namely, “Subhas Bad: Eka Antarang Adhayana”. Panda alleged that the Congress policy of keeping historical facts under carpet or twist them to meet its political convenience and interest has in fact deprived citizens of knowing about their country and leaders in their true perspectives.
The cap of secrecy on the real history covering some of the national leaders perpetuated by Congress on the eve of Independence and subsequently keeping such valuable information undisclosed to public since last 70 years amounts to intrusion and repression on the Right to Information of the citizens. In this back ground, declassification of files of such historical figures has become exigent not only to meet the need of the time but such disclosure would facilitate public scrutiny to bring an end to various speculations, the memorandum said. Significantly, Panda, who did considerable work on Netaji, had suggested such declassification long back in his book.
Similarly, the Government of India files relating to Jayaprakash Narayan also need to be made public in order to wipe out the cloud of suspicion on the circumstances leading to his arrest on June 25, 1975 and his detention in solitary confinement which reportedly deteriorated his health, the memorandum claimed.
Panda claimed that the matter is significant as Jayaprakashji himself recorded his apprehension to his life during his detention under emergency regime for which he had executed a will reiterating his firm opposition to the dictatorial rule of Indira Gandhi. This is evident from an article written by MR Masani (page 35) in JP Commemoration volume published in 1979.