The Indian National Army  

The Story of Indian National Army (INA)

Subhash Bose met Goebbels and Hitler in Berlin, but did not receive much help from them. He was allowed to start his Azad Hind Radio and was handed over the Indian Prisoners of War captured in North Africa to start an Indian Legion, but nothing beyond that. Particularly, he could not get an Axis declaration in favour of Indian independence, and after German reverses at Stalingrad, that became even more difficult.

But in the meanwhile, a new stage of action was being prepared for him in Southeast Asia, where the Japanese were taking real interest in the cause of Indian independence.

India originally did not figure in the Japanese policy of Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere, under which the Japanese proposed to help Asians gain independence from Western imperialism.

But by 1940, Japan had developed an Indian policy and the following year sent Major Fuziwara to Southeast Asia to contact expatriate Indians who were organising themselves into the Indian Independence Leagues under the leadership of men like Pritam Singh. Then in December, 1941, Captain Mohan Singh, a young officer of the Punjab Regiment of the British Indian Army who had surrendered to the Japanese in the jungles of Malaya, agreed to cooperate with Fuziwara to raise an Indian Army with PoWs to march alongside the Japanese to liberate India.

In June 1942, a united Indian Independence League, representing all Indians in Southeast Asia, was born as a civilian political body having controlling authority over the army. To chair this body, a veteran Bengali revolutionary, then living in Japan, was flown in. By September, the INA was formally in existence. But its relationship with the Japanese was still far away from satisfactory, as "Japanese duplicity" now became more than apparent. General Tojo, the Japanese Prime Minister, made a declaration in the Diet supporting Indian independence. But beyond that, the Japanese were only prepared to treat INA as a subsidiary force, rather than an allied army. As Mohan Singh insisted on autonomy and allied status, he was removed from command and put under arrest. Rash Behari Bose tried to hold the banner for some time, but he was then too aged for the task. By the beginning of 1943, the first INA experiment virtually collapsed.

The entry of Subhash Chandra Bose

As Mohan Singh had often mentioned to the Japanese, the INA movement needed a new leader and outside India only one person could provide that leadership, and that was Subhash Chandra Bose. The Japanese now seriously considered the proposition and negotiated with the Germans to bring him to Asia. At last, after a long and arduous voyage, in May 1943, Bose arrived in southeast Asia and immediately took control of the situation, with Japanese assurance of help and equal treatment. In October, he established a Provisional Government of Free India, which was immediately recognised by Japan and later by eight other governments, including Germany and fascist Italy. Bose became the supreme commander of its army, the Indian National Army or the Azad Hind Fauj, which recruited around forty thousand men by 1945 and had a women's regiment named after the legendary Rani of Jhansi.

The Provisional Government declared war on Great Britain and its chief ambition was to march-as an allied army with the Japanese-through Burma to Imphal and then to Assam, where the Indian people were expected to join them in an open rebellion to liberate their mother country. But the ill-fated Imphal campaign, which was finally launched on 8 March 1944 by Japan's Southern Army accompanied by two INA regiments, ended in a disaster. The reasons were many- lack of air power, breakdown in the chain of command, disruption of the supply line, the strength of Allied offensive, and finally for the INA, lack of cooperation from the Japanese. The retreat was even more devastating, finally ending the dream of liberating India through military campaign. But Bose still remained optimistic, thought of regrouping and after Japanese surrender, contemplated seeking help from Soviet Russia. the Japanese agreed to provide him transport up to Manchuria from where he could travel to Russia. But on his way, on 18th August 1945 at Taihoku airport in Taiwan, he died in an air crash, which many Indians still believe never happened.

Salient points

• The idea of Indian National Army was first conceived by Mohan Singh in Malaya, an Indian officer of British Indian Army.
• Indian Prisoners of War were handed over by Japanese to Mohan Singh who then tried to recruit them into an Indian National Army.
• The fall of Singapore brought 45,000 Indian Prisoners of War into Mohan Singh's influence.
• It was repeatedly made clear at various meetings of leaders of Indian community and of Indian army officers that INA would go into action only on the invitation of the Congress and the people of India.
• Indian National Army was organised on 1 September 1942 during the Second World War.
• The outbreak of Quit India Movement gave a fillip to the Indian National army (INA) as well.
• Anti-British demonstrations were organised in Malaya.
• By December 1942, serious differences emerged between Indian army officers led by Mohan Singh and the Japanese over the role that the Indian National Army was to play.
• Mohan Singh and Niranjan Singh Gill, of the INA were arrested.
• The second Phase of Indian National Army began when Subhash Chandra Bose was brought to Singapore on 2nd July, 1943 by means of German and Japanese submarines.
• He went to Tokyo and Prime Minister Tojo declared that Japan had no territorial designs on India.
• Subhash Chandra Bose returned to Singapore and set-up Provincial Government of Free India. It then declared war on Britain and US, and was recognised by the Axis powers and their satellites.
• Subhash Chandra Bose set up two Indian National Army Headquarters, at Rangoon and Singapore.
• A women's regiment Rani Jhansi regiment was formed. The regiment was headed by Lakshmi Sehgal.
• Subhash Chandra Bose renamed Indian National Army as Azad Hind Fauj.

Election Results

Background

• A meeting of the Congress Working Committee in Wardha passed the Quit India Resolution on 14th July, 1942
• It was later endorsed and passed on 8th August at the Bombay session of the Congress.
• Before the movement could be launched all important leaders of Congress were arrested before the dawn of 9th August 1942.
• Congress was banned and declared as an illegal organization.
• By the end of the Second World War India’s struggle for freedom was almost coming to an end. The British realised that their power in India would not last long.
• In July 1945, Labour Party formed the government in Britain.
• Clement Attlee took over as the new Prime Minister.
• After the election, the new British Government was welcomed in India with goodwill.
• The new Labour Government was more sympathetic to Indian cause.

Announcement of Election

• The Labour Party, which had come to power in Britain after the War, was in a hurry to settle the Indian problem.
• As a result the ban on the Congress was lifted and congress leaders were released.
• After the war elections seemed inevitable as the last elections had been held in 1934 for the centre and in 1937 for the provinces.
• These elections were also important as the provincial assemblies thus formed were to then elect a new Constituent Assembly for an independent India.
• In August 1945, elections to central and provincial assemblies were announced.
• The news of announcement of election met with great enthusiasm among people.

Congress Election Campaign

• The Congress had grave difficulties in fighting the elections. It had been in wilderness for more than three years.
• Its organisation had broken down as many leaders and members were still in prison and its party fund bad been sequestrated by the Government.
• But the trial of the Indian soldiers of the INA gave a psychological boost to the Congress.
• Wild popular demonstrations were held all over the country against the trial of INA POWs, due to which government was forced into conciliatory mode.
• When Congress leaders emerged from jail in mid-June 1945, they expected to find demoralized people.
• To their surprise they found a politically charged atmosphere and people filled with political energy and impatient to do something.
• This political atmosphere was channelized by the Congress in the upcoming elections, towards nationalistic aims.
• The Congress’ aim was to win a majority in most provinces so it could press its claim to form a government of united (post-colonial) India.
• In its manifesto it appealed to the voters all over the country to support its candidates and gave 'independence' pledge to the voters on January 26, 1946
• The election campaign of the Congress was mainly focused on mobilizing the Indians against the British; It did not just appeal to the people for votes
• The election campaign expressed the nationalistic sentiments against the state repression of the 1942 Quit India Movement.
• To this effect, the martyrs were glorified and officials were condemned.
• Government failed to check such speeches
• This had a devastating effect on the morale of the services.
• The prospect of return of the congress ministries further heightened the fear of those in government services.
• A ‘gentleman agreement’ with the congress seemed necessary to the government.

Muslim League Election Campaign

• Muslim League did not place before the country any economic, social or any other political programme for the General Election.
• Jinnah declared that the General Election of 1946 would be taken as plebiscite of the Muslims of India on ‘Pakistan’.
• The League claimed to be the only organisation of the 10 crores of Muslims of India.
• The General Election of 1946 had been called 'a pitched battle with the Congress’

Election Results

General elections were held in December 1945 to elect members of the Central Legislature while provincial elections were held in 1946. The franchise was extremely limited. The voter turnout was high on the day of the polls.

Performance of the Congress

• The Congress swept the general constituencies, capturing 91.3 per cent of the non-Muslim vote.
• It captured 57 out of 102 seats in the central assembly.
• In the provincial elections, it got majority in most provinces except in Bengal, Sindh and Punjab.
• The congress majority provinces included NWFP and Assam which were being claimed for Pakistan.
• The Congress formed its ministries in Assam, Bihar, Bombay, Central Provinces, Madras, NWFP, Orissa and United Provinces.

Performance of the Muslim League

• The League’s success in the seats reserved for Muslims was spectacular: it won all 30 reserved constituencies in the Centre with 86.6 per cent of the Muslim vote
• It also secured 442 out of 509 reserve seats in the provincial elections.
• In the provincial elections, it got majority in Bengal and Sindh.
• The Muslim League formed its ministries in Bengal and Sind.
• Only as late as 1946, therefore, did the League establish itself as the dominant party among Muslim voters, seeking to vindicate its claim to be the “sole spokesman” of India’s Muslims.

Coalition in Punjab

• In the Punjab, the concerted effort of the Muslim League led to its greatest success, winning 73 seats of the total Muslim seats and becoming the largest single party in the Assembly.
• The Unionist Party suffered heavy losses winning only 20 seats in total.
• The Congress was the second largest party, winning 51 seats, whilst the Sikh centric Akali Dal came third with 22 seats
• Ultimately, a Unionist-Congress-Akali coalition under Khizr Hyat Khan had assumed power in Punjab.

Significant features of Elections

The elections witnessed communal voting in contrast to the strong anti-British unity shown in various upsurges before the elections. This communal voting was due to

1. Separate Electorates
2. Limited Franchise - About 10 to 12 per cent of the population enjoyed the right to vote in the provincial elections and a mere 1 per cent in the elections for the Central Assembly.

Aftermath

• The elections of 1945-46 had a significant role in partition of India and creation of “Pakistan”.
• The election results of 1946 gave the Muslim League the authoritative position to represent Indian Muslims that Jinnah had long wanted.
• The Communal polarisation had grown although the violence was to become significant only in 1946.
• It was the growth in the electoral strength of the League and the popularity of the notion of Pakistan that compelled the Congress to take the demands of the League seriously.
• The supporters of the two-nation theory regarded the verdict of 1946 as a vindication of their stand.
• Gandhi was eager to avoid the division of the country and did not participate in all the discussions of the Congress about these developments during 1946.
• He was in Noakhali in East Bengal trying to restore harmony.