New Delhi: Four nonagenarian - over 90 years old Indian National Army (INA) veterans put on the boots and took part at the historic parade at the Rajpath here on Saturday scripting history in perhaps more ways than one.
While a large number of Twitteratis took to the micro blogging site saying it took 70 long years to give the former associates of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose their 'deserving respect'; others tried to question the decades-old argument that non-violence was the only method to get India's freedom.
One of them wrote: "Of 60,000 INA soldiers 26,000 laid down their lives to make us free. And people say we won our freedom due to non- violence".
In this context, author and strategic commentator Brahma Chellaney also tweeted saying there came a theory to believe that India can get peace "merely by seeking peace".?
"Indian National Army veterans' participation in Republic Day parade underscores the Indian republic's founding myth " that it won independence through non-violence. This pernicious myth gave rise to a pacifist India that believed that it could get peace merely by seeking peace...," Mr Chellaney wrote.
Four Indian National Army (INA) veterans who took part in the parade were - Parmanand, Lalti Ram, Hira Singh and Bhagmal.
"For the first time ever, the veterans of Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army to participate in Republic Day Parade. Thank you, Honorable PM (Narendra Modi) for this. This had to happen in India's 70th Republic Day and under you as PM. Jai Ho," another netizen wrote in the micro blogging site.
One Dr Vineet Aggarwal recorded his appreciation for the historic moment saying: "70 years after the country's Independence veterans of Subhash Chandra Bose Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj), marched along the Indian Armed forces at the RepublicDay Parade. Two of them belong to my hometown". (UNI)