The Indian Stance
The Indian National Congress, led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Maulana Azad, took a strong stance against Fascism and Nazism. Gandhi, in an open letter to Adolf Hitler, touted tolerance and viewed Nazism as a source of violence. Several other Indian leaders and politicians expressed concerns over the rise of Fascism and Nazism and supported the British cause.
However, Jawaharlal Nehru pointed out the inherent contradiction in the British argument of going to war with Nazi Germany for the sake of freedom, since India was denied that same freedom. He pointed out that Nazism and the British Raj represented the two core ideologies the Congress was fighting against — imperialism and racism. It was because of this perceived hypocrisy of the British Government, that the Congress refused to align with Britain's fight against the Axis Powers until India was granted independence.
Supporters of the British Raj argued that Great Britain could not afford to have to go through the trouble of decolonisation at such a difficult time. It was believed that losing India, the most prized crown colony, would put tremendous pressure on Britain especially when it was facing war on all fronts. So, in 1939, the British Viceroy, Lord Linlithgow declared India's entry into the War without consulting prominent Indian congress leaders who were just elected in previous elections.
Another school of thought led by Subhas Chandra Bose of the Indian National Army (INA) allied itself with the Axis based on the principle that "An enemy's enemy is a friend". Bose led the Indian National Army and the Provisional Government of Free India, a government-in-exile based in Singapore, that was recognised by the Axis powers.
Read more about this topic: India In World War II
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