Sunday, January 23 2005 17:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's ideals of socialism and secularism are the need of the hour in maintaining the country's economic and social integrity in the age of globalisation, West Bengal Chief Minister and CPM (Communist Party of India Marxist) politburo member Buddhadev Bhattacharjee said today (Jan 23, 2005).

''Netaji realized the answer to India's economic liberation lay in socialism and not capitalism. We in the Left also believe in socialism. In this age of globalisation and economic anarchy, socialism is the only way,'' he said at a function to mark the 108th birth anniversary of Netaji.

Pointing out that Netaji's faith in an armed struggle for Independence caused him to part ways with the Congress and set up Forward Bloc, Bhattacharjee said that Bose was the first Indian leader to create a fighting force comprising both Hindus and Muslims.

''In fact, the Indian National Army was the first truly secular force,'' he said.

Lamenting that compilation and study of history had become 'one sided,' the senior CPM leader said events like the Santhal uprising and the Indigo movement remained largely ignored. ''Hardly anybody remembers the martyrs of the armed struggle like Kshudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki. Netaji's contribution is also not properly evaluated.'' Earlier, Bhattacharjee garlanded the statue of Netaji in Esplanade area along with his Ministerial colleagues Prabodh Chandra Sinha, Amar Chowdhury and Pratim Chatterjee.

Motilal Moitra, Secretary of Netaji Birth Anniversary Celebration Committee, handed over a cheque of Rs 50,000 to the Chief Minister in aid of the tsunami victims.