Adolf Hitler and general Tojo are the dark characters of history. Hitler started the Second World War and believed in the superiority of the Aryan race, while general Toja was a war enthusiast and was the Prime Minister of Japan during the infamous rape of Nanking in occupied China by the Japanese army. At a conservative estimate about 400,000 Chinese women were raped or bayynoted to death and another 500000 executed like people of no consequence. Hitler also was guilty of the final solution when about 6 million Jews were sent to the gas chamber.
Both the leaders were Fascists and its a pity that Subhas Bose thought fit to join them. What was his compulsion ? it is on record that he had said that if required he could shake hands with the devil to free India from the British Raj. In this he differed from Gandhi, who believed in not supporting the fascists and using the weapon of Satyagraha to get the British out of India.
Perhaps Gandhi was right as the track record of occupied territories under Germany and Japan shows that these powers had scant respect for the local population. Japan in particular had a terrible occupation of China and the Philippines. Despite the much touted ” Common Co- prosperity Sphere” the Japanese killed almost 25% of the Philippine population and executed millions in China. Would they have been any different In India ? Yet Bose shook hands with them. This is not something easy to explain and apologists of Bose say that he would have controlled the Japanese.
This appears highly unlikely as the brief occupation of the Andaman islands by the Japanese shows. The British were driven out, but the though there was a nominal governor from the INA( Bose) yet the Japanese executed tens of Indians who they thought were supporters of the British. Bose could do nothing and feigned ignorance even when he visited Port Blair. Hence friends it is food for thought whether Bose was naive and knew what he was upto. History must judge him correctly