Tripuri: The Turning Point in Indian Politics
Jabalpur and a Forgotten Connection
We arrived in Jabalpur for a group tour to the wildlife sanctuaries of Madhya Pradesh. Yesterday afternoon, I took a walk through the city and came across a medical college name after Subhas Chandra Bose and a statue of him on the way to Gada Market.
Curious, I asked my batchmate Deepak Khandekar whether Bose had any connection with Jabalpur. He replied passionately that across the river, in Tripuri village, lies the site where Mahatma Gandhi and Subhas Chandra Bose met for the last time.
The Tripuri Session, 1939
The Tripuri Session of the Indian National Congress, held in February 1939, was one of the most dramatic episodes in the party’s history. Subhas Chandra Bose had just won re-election as Congress President for a second consecutive term, defeating Gandhiji’s preferred candidate, Pattabhi Sitaramayya.
Traditionally, a victory procession followed the election, but Bose—ill with fever—could not attend. In his absence, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) passed a resolution that the President must adhere to Gandhiji’s policies and act according to the CWC’s collective decisions.
Frustrated by his limited authority, Bose resigned on 29 April 1939, and Dr. Rajendra Prasad succeeded him. Soon after, Bose was barred from holding any Congress office for six years, effectively forcing him out of the organisation.
Nehru and Patel: Two Poles of Congress
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru represented the socialist wing of the Congress, while Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel stood for the conservative right.
Patel, who had served as Congress President in 1931, became the party’s strongest organiser and long-time Treasurer. Nehru, in contrast, held the presidency three times before independence — 1930, 1936–37, and 1946 — each at a decisive moment:
1930: Declaration of “Complete Independence”
1936–37: Participation in the first provincial elections
1946: Formation of the Interim Government
To balance Patel’s growing influence, Nehru supported Subhas Chandra Bose for the presidency in 1938. Bose triumphed at Haripura (Surat) and again at Tripuri the following year.
Initially, Gandhiji cooperated. But after Bose’s second victory over his nominee, ideological differences sharpened. The old controversy over Vithalbhai Patel’s will resurfaced, widening the divide.
Bose sought a militant struggle for independence; Gandhi remained committed to non-violence. The Congress could no longer accommodate both visions.
The Himalayan Blunder
When Viceroy Lord Linlithgow announced India’s entry into World War II on 3 September 1939, the Congress demanded a post-war promise of independence — a demand the British refused.
Gandhiji and Patel advocated cooperation with the British; Nehru and Bose opposed it. Nehru’s stand prevailed, and on 22 October 1939, all Congress ministries resigned.
“Aprotest meant as a moral gesture became a political void that others rushed to fill.”
Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the Muslim League celebrated 22 December 1939 as a “Day of Deliverance.” The British courted Jinnah, and within months, the League passed the Pakistan Resolution (23 March 1940).
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, leader of the Independent Labour Party, also criticised the Congress resignations and even joined the Deliverance celebrations in Bombay. In July 1942, he entered the Viceroy’s Executive Council.
With top Congress leaders imprisoned during the Quit India Movement (1942–45), Jinnah expanded his influence unchallenged — a vacuum that reshaped the subcontinent’s destiny.
Gandhiji’s Changing Equation
Nehru and Bose had once been ideological allies. Twice, Bose rose to the Congress presidency with Nehru’s support. But when Bose’s radicalism clashed with Gandhiji’s methods, Gandhi shifted his favour to Patel.
Ironically, in 1946, the Mahatma reversed course — supporting Nehru over Patel for the presidency, thereby ensuring Nehru’s eventual rise as India’s first Prime Minister.
The Subhas–Sardar Episode: The Will of Vithalbhai Patel
On 2 October 1933, Vithalbhai Patel, elder brother of Sardar Patel, executed his will in Switzerland, naming Subhas Chandra Bose as beneficiary of his remaining estate to promote India’s cause abroad.
Vithalbhai wished that, in case of his death in Europe, Bose should arrange for his cremation at Chowpatty Beach, Bombay, near Lokmanya Tilak’s memorial.
Vithalbhai died soon after, and Bose honoured his wish. The Bombay High Court granted probate in 1934, but the executors withheld payment. In January 1939, just before the Tripuri Session, they filed a case against Bose — a move widely seen as politically motivated.
Justice Wadia, sympathetic to the British, invalidated the will and awarded the money to Sardar Patel’s heirs. The appellate court upheld the ruling in September 1939.
In October 1940, Patel sent a cheque for ₹1 lakh — the disputed sum — to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. The Congress Working Committee then entrusted Azad, Jamnalal Bajaj, Bhulabhai Desai, and the Congress President with its proper utilisation.
Netaji’s Great Escape
After his resignation and suspension, Bose turned to the world stage, guided by the maxim “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
He sought support from the Axis powers during World War II, broadcasting from Germany and later leading the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army).
When Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, Bose reportedly died — or disappeared — three days later, on 18 August 1945.
Nehru and Patel After Independence
Gandhiji’s assassination in January 1948 laid bare the underlying rift between Nehru and Patel.
Patel backed Dr. Rajendra Prasad as India’s first President, sidelining Rajaji (C. Rajagopalachari). In 1950, Patel ensured the election of Purushottam Das Tandon as Congress President, defeating Nehru’s candidate — their last major confrontation.
The Nehru–Bose–Padmaja Triangle
Nehru and Bose shared not only ideology but also affection for Padmaja Naidu, daughter of Sarojini Naidu.
Padmaja admired and loved Bose. After his death, she grew close to Nehru and stayed at the Prime Minister’s residence until Indira Gandhi gradually distanced her for reasons of propriety and public image.
The Enduring Mystery of Netaji
India has never officially accepted that Subhas Chandra Bose died in the plane crash at Taipei on 18 August 1945.
While the ashes of Shyamji Krishna Varma were repatriated from Switzerland, Bose’s purported remains still rest at Renkoji Temple, Tokyo.
Neither Anita Bose Pfaff has undergone a DNA test, nor has the Government of India released definitive records confirming Bose’s death — whether in Taipei, Siberia, or elsewhere.
Epilogue
From Jabalpur’s quiet Tripuri village to the political storms that shaped modern India, the story of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose continues to haunt the nation’s conscience. His vision of a free, assertive India still inspires — reminding us that freedom, once won, must constantly be redefined.
Jabalpur
13 November 2025
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