Netaji’s grand-nephew Chandra Kumar Bose plans youth-focused Azad Hind Party

A Gen Z push

Chandra Bose said interest in the proposed platform has already emerged from states including Punjab, Odisha, Kerala and Karnataka.

“It is still just a thought for now and is shaping up. As you know, October 21 is Azad Hind Day. So, around October 21, an announcement will be made. Now, the registration process will depend on the Election Commission. But they will submit all the documents,” he told The Indian Express.

According to Bose, the Azad Hind Party will be guided by the principle of Sarva Dharma Samabhava, or equal respect for all religions, and upholding the true ethos of the Constitution.

“Today, after 80 years of Independence, we may have achieved political freedom, but economic and social freedom remain unfulfilled. Mainstream parties rely on ‘divide and rule’ tactics and vote-bank politics that threaten the very concept of India. Netaji was the only leader who truly united all communities under a single Indian identity,” he said.

Rather than functioning as a conventional political outfit focused on fielding candidates, Chandra Bose said the platform is being shaped primarily by young members of civil society, recent college graduates, and students. He said he would act as a guide and mentor and would neither contest elections nor hold a formal post.

The initiative comes amid growing political mobilisation among young Indians. The recent rise of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a Gen Z-driven satirical movement founded by Abhijeet Dipke, has highlighted the ability of youth-led campaigns to gain national attention.

The CJP’s online campaigns and student-led protests over alleged irregularities in medical examinations culminated in the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as the Union Education Minister.

Bose said such movements show a growing willingness among young people to challenge issues such as institutional corruption, question paper leaks, and political inertia. The proposed Azad Hind Party, he said, seeks to channel that energy into a structured, secular, and values-driven political alternative.

‘Concept of Indian identity’

Chandra Bose, who resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after a seven-year stint and later briefly joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC), said his decision to move away from mainstream parties was driven by what he saw as their increasing reliance on divisive politics.

He recalled that during a 2013 meeting, then-Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi advised him against forming a new party, pointing out that over 1,600 parties already existed. While Bose acknowledged former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s reverence for Netaji and praised Modi’s actions, such as declassifying Netaji files and installing his hologram and statue at India Gate, he expressed disappointment that the promised “Azad Hind Morcha” within the BJP was never realised.

He added that the politics of division and communal politics will no longer work in India.

“My goal was to spread Netaji’s ideals to the youth across India through the platform of the Azad Hind Morcha within the BJP. But that wasn’t possible. Their politics is completely the opposite—division. Where is Akhand Bharat? India is already partitioned. Congress also played division politics,” he said.

“If we continue with this kind of politics, then these different states will all become separate nations. The very concept of India will cease to exist. Netaji was the only leader who united all religions and established us as Indians. The Azad Hind Party will move forward based on this concept of Indian identity,” he added.

Bose also cited historical accounts of British leaders Clement Attlee and Lord Mountbatten acknowledging the role of Netaji’s Indian National Army (INA) and the naval revolts it inspired in hastening British withdrawal from India.

Turning to contemporary concerns, Bose said national progress cannot be measured solely through achievements in areas such as space exploration and defence when large sections of the population continue to struggle for basic necessities.

The proposed Azad Hind Party, he said, will seek to promote constitutional governance, integrity and greater socio-economic equality.