Chennai: MDMK and Trinamool Congress on Tuesday jointly demanded that the BJP led government to declassify the files relating to the disappearance of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and make it public, contending that every Indian must know what happened to the leader.

“We demand, without any delay, the inquiry report must be placed in the public domain so that the people can understand what went wrong and why the government is trying to hide the truth,” Trinamool Congress secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said.

Addressing a demonstration organised by MDMK highlighting the demand, he said citizens of this country must know if the leader was killed in an air crash or “something happened to him”.

Stating that 68 years have gone by since country’s Independence and people were unable to know the reasons for the leader’s “disappearance”, the West Bengal education minister asked, “What is the harm in publishing reports of the inquiry committee?”

Referring to reported promises made by then BJP president and present Union home minister Rajnath Singh at Cuttack before elections to declassify the files, Chatterjee alleged that the attempt was an election propaganda. “If it is not election propaganda, then Modi and Rajnath Singh must come forward and say here is the inquiry report,” he said.

Vaiko too demanded that the secret files be declassified. Recalling Rajnath Singh’s reported promise to declassify the Netaji files, he said, “In so many aspects this Modi government has somersaulted like anything. In this matter also they have shown their own face..” Both leaders demanded that the birthday of Subhash Chandra Bose on January 23 be declared a national holiday, in honour of the INA founder.