In December 2018, Saikat Chakrabarti, the chief of staff to US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, appeared in a video for NowThis News.
In the clip, Chakrabarti spoke about working with Ocasio-Cortez and what her community expects of her. Months later, the video has resurfaced, only to trigger a debate about the man on his T-shirt: Subhas Chandra Bose.
On July 10, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency published an article describing Bose as an “Indian nationalist who collaborated with the Nazis”. Bose went to Germany in 1941, during World War II, to seek help Adolf Hitler’s help to free India from British rule. To do so, Bose formed the Azad Hind Fauz or Indian National Army.
For some American right wingers, Chakrabarti’s T-shirt was a handy stick with which to attack Ocasio-Cortez.
1st @AOC praised Nazi sympathizer Eva Peron, a woman who literally accepted property stolen from slaughtered Jews! Now we find her aid, Saikat Chakrabarti wearing a tshirt w/the face of a Nazi collaborator, Bose.
— #Irredeemable Q Grandpa Cal Twitmo Parolee (@itsme_user) July 11, 2019
She is not only ignorant, she's shameless!https://t.co/M19A6sGzGO
After the Agency’s account, Newsweek picked up on Chakrabarti’s T-shirt from the December video. Said its headline: “Who was Subhas Chandra Bose? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez senior staffer criticised for sporting image of Nazi collaborator.”
That description of the Independence-era leader has not gone down well with Indians.
Yes, Subhas Chandra Bose is a complicated figure who received support from Axis Powers, particularly Japan. To reduce his identity to that of a “Nazi collaborator” is an insult to history and everyone’s intelligence.
— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) July 12, 2019
Are you aware there 2-3 million Bengali Indians (to which Bose and AOC staffer belongs to) died due to starvation due to intentional policies of British. No one is reducing holocaust to afterthought. But for them British were far greater evil.
— Sugat (@discalerGuy) July 12, 2019
Umm you might have some issues in India convincing people that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is some kind of Nazi to be shunned. He's venerated there - not a fan of Saikat, but this is a stupid angle to go after.
— Nikhil (@nikhilsoneja) July 12, 2019
Subhash Chandra Bose is one of the Greatest Heroes who fought for India's Independence. He only seeked Military support from Hitler to kick out Tyrannical Britishers from India. Stop portraying him as a NAZI.
— Harsh Chauhan (@MonarchofIndus) July 10, 2019
More than seven decades after his death, Bose remains a revered figure for Indians. In December 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi renamed three Andaman islands after Bose as a mark of respect towards his contribution to the freedom struggle.