India’s First Prime Minister Was Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. 🇮🇳 On October 21, 1943, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the supreme leader of the Indian National Army (INA), proclaimed the establishment of the Provisional Government of Free India, Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind, in Singapore. This was not merely a declaration of independence; it was an audacious attempt to transform India’s freedom struggle into a sovereign political and military campaign. At a public ceremony at Singapore’s Cathay Building, Netaji announced a government with a clear mandate: to overthrow British colonial rule, liberate India through armed struggle, and administer the country until a permanent national government could be established. What made this achievement monumental was the sheer scale of what Netaji dared to accomplish. At a time when the British Empire remained a formidable global power, Netaji organised an army to fight it, challenged the allegiance of Indian soldiers serving under the British Crown, and established a government-in-exile that asserted India’s right to sovereignty. He sought international legitimacy for an independent India, and the Azad Hind Government received diplomatic recognition from several countries, commonly cited as nine states during its existence. Think about the historical significance: Netaji was not merely demanding freedom from British rule; he was building the military, political and diplomatic instruments of a free Indian state before India had actually achieved independence. The INA represented a direct challenge to the assumption that Indian soldiers would indefinitely fight for the Empire. The Provisional Government gave the freedom struggle an alternative sovereign authority, while its international recognition demonstrated that India’s claim to independence could be advanced beyond British-controlled institutions and negotiations. This was an extraordinary undertaking under wartime conditions, with limited resources and against an empire that had ruled India for nearly two centuries. It required military organisation, diplomatic outreach, political vision and the courage to stake everything on the cause of liberation. Netaji’s achievement cannot be reduced to whether the INA ultimately succeeded militarily. Its historical significance also lies in the challenge it posed to British authority and in the example it set of Indians asserting their right to establish and defend their own state. On this day, we remember a leader who did not merely imagine a free India. He attempted to organise an army to win it, a government to represent it, and a diplomatic foundation to establish its legitimacy before the world. That is the monumental legacy of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the Provisional Government of Free India. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳 @rashtrapatibhvn @PMOIndia @narendramodi @HMOIndia @AmitShah @cmowbgov @SuvenduWB @BJP4India @BJP4Bengal please pay the due respect to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and bring out the truth. @anujdhar @MissionNetaji