Daily Express (London) caption on Subhas Bose as Quisling of India, and Pandit Nehru's reaction

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source Netaji papers - National Archives. File 24(28)/56-61/PM. On 10th January 1961Daily Express of London published a picture of Anita Bose meeting Nehru under the title, "Daughter of India's Quisling meets Prime Minister of India." A certain Mr. Longman wrote to Dr. B.C Roy, the then C.M of Bengal, highlighting the caption and alleging that none of the Indian journalists in London, whose main function had been to attend to lunches and dinners and throw cocktail parties, had bothered to protest against the article. There was characteristics inaction from the High Commissioner of India in Britain. The writer alluded to the fact that because of this lack of self respect among Indians, India was ruled by a tiny country like Britain for two centuries. He also pointed out that such an ignominy brought to any other icon of any other country would have sparked a severe reaction from that country. 

Dr. B.C Roy took note of this letter and sent a missive to Pandit Nehru, asking him as to what should be done in this matter as the expression Quisling should never apply to Subhas Chandra Bose.

Nehru's reply to this is most astonishing. Instead of encouraging a strong protest or assuring Indian High Commission's objection to this post, Nehru expressed his helplessness saying that Daily Express was a known enemy of India and the Mountbattens. What has Mountbatten got to do with this? Nehru did not seem to be concerned about the expression Quisling applied to Subhas. He said that "We decided long go not to pay attention to it (Daily Express). I do not know what Mr. Longman expects us to do in this matter."

Strange indeed! His one time associated was being vilified and the Indian Prime Minister did not know what to do. He was loathe to use the official channel to lodge a protest against this newspaper. Nehru quipped in his characteristic way that whether Mr. Longman wanted to make a bonfire of the Daily Express (Longman indeed wished for the same) and that there were not enough Daily Expresses in circulation in India to conduct a bonfire in any way. In this way he had made the entire matter light.

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