Portal:Forward Bloc

THE FORWARD BLOC PORTAL

The All India Forward Bloc is a leftwing nationalist political party in India. The party was initially formed as the Forward Bloc of the Indian National Congress, founded on 3 May 1939 by Subhash Chandra Bose, who had resigned from the presidency of the Indian National Congress on April 29 after being outmanouvered by Gandhi. The formation of the Forward Bloc was announced to the public at a rally in Calcutta. Initially the aim of the Forward Bloc was to rally all the leftwing sections within the Congress and develop an alternative leadership inside the Congress. The party was repressed by the colonial authorities during the Second World War.

The party was reestablished as an independent political party after the independence of India. Has its main stronghold in West Bengal, were it takes part in the Left Front cabinet.

Selected biography

Subhash Chandra Bose, (Bangla: সুভাষ চন্দ্র বসু Shubhash Chôndro Boshu) (January 23, 1897-?) also known as Netaji, was one of the most prominent leaders of the Indian Independence Movement against the British Raj. He is immortalised in Indian history for having formed the Azad Hind Government in exile, and regrouping and leading the Indian National Army to battle against the allies in Imphal and Burma during the World War II. It is widely regarded that the actions of his nationalist army, and the revolts that it inspired in the British Indian Armed Forces after the war were one of the main driving forces behind the British decision to relinquish the Raj.

Bose was elected president of the Indian National Congress for two consecutive terms. However, he had to resign from the post in the face of a motion of no-confidence, stemming from ideological conflicts with Mahatma Gandhi. Bose felt that Mahatma Gandhi's tactics of non-violence would never be sufficient to secure India's independence, and advocated violent resistance. He established a separate political party, the All India Forward Bloc and continued to call for the full and immediate independence of India from British rule. His stance did not change with the outbreak of War, which he saw as an opportunity to take advantage of British weakness. (continued...)

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