No, President Kovind Didn’t Unveil Portrait Of Bengali Actor Prosenjit Instead Of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

A section of social media today (25 January) was up in arms against President Ram Nath Kovind after accusing him of mistakenly unveiling a portrait of Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee instead of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

Prosenjit had portrayed Netaji in the 2019 movie Gumnami and people alleged that his still from the movie and not Netaji's actual photograph which was unveiled by the President at the Rashtrapati Bhavan to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji.

Among those who alleged a goof-up by the President was Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Moitra. She later deleted the tweet.

Amid the outrage journalist Nistula Hebbar pointed out that the portrait unveiled by the President has been painted by painter Paresh Maity, based on the original photograph of Netaji which was sourced from his Grand Niece Jayanti Bose Rakshit.

She also affixed a still of Prosenjit from the movie Gumnami and one can clearly see the stark difference between the two photos. Thus, it can also be seen that the Rashtrapati Bhavan portrait does not bear a resemblance to Prosenjit's Gumnami photo.

Some social media users also shared an old tweet of Netaji's Grand Nephew Chandra Kumar Bose who had also shared the same portrait of Netaji, which has been colourised in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Netaji's 125th Birth Anniversary was celebrated on 23 January - a day will will now be commemorated as Parakram Diwas.

Netaji, one of the greatest sons of Bharat Mata fought relentlessly against the British to free India. His efforts included raising the Indian National Army or the Azad Hind Fauj to fight against the British Raj in India.

He is credited by Babasaheb Ambedkar for giving a death blow to the British Empire. Even former British Prime Minister Richard Attlee acknowledged that Netaji was the toughest challenge the British Empire faced in India.

Also Read: Bose, Not Gandhi, Ended British Rule In India: Ambedkar