Netaji birth anniversary: Amit Shah to visit Andaman on Jan 23

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will arrive in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary on January 23, an official said on Friday.

Netaji hoisted the national flag at Gymkhana Ground here on December 30, 1943, and Shah will do it at the same spot on January 23, the official said. The ground is now renamed as ‘Netaji Stadium’.

The Union home minister is also likely to visit Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island, the nearest Island from Port Blair, which can be reached through a 15-20-minute boat ride from Aberdeen Jetty.

On December 30, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi rechristened Ross Island as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands was under Japanese occupation and it was formally handed over to Netaji’s Azad Hind government on December 29, 1943.

He will also take stock of various developmental initiatives in the islands connected to eco-tourism and issues related to national security, the official said.

Shah is also likely to visit the Cellular Jail and meet local BJP leaders.

The Union home minister last came to Port Blair in 2021.