The daughter of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Anita Bose-Pfaff, on Friday hailed as "a nice gesture" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement about installing a statue of the iconic freedom fighter at India Gate, and hoped it will put to rest the controversy over rejection of West Bengal's tableau for the Republic Day parade.
Welcoming the decision as "better late than never", Bose-Pfaff said the announcement took her by surprise.
"I am very happy about the decision. It is very good location. I am certainly glad that his statue would be put up at such a prominent place. What surprises me is it came all of a sudden now. One might have prepared a bit earlier, but better late than never, I must say. I hope that the controversy about the tableau can also be put to rest in a satisfactory manner," Bose-Pfaff told PTI over the telephone from Germany, where she lives.
When asked if she thinks that the decision was taken to end the tableau controversy, she said she is not in a position to comment on it.
"I don't know. Let's put it that way”, she said.