Government of Free India

The **Government of Free India** is a Japanese client state, led by Head of State and Prime Minister Subhas Chandra Bose, with control over the state of Bengal and surrounding areas. They are a member of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

The Azad Hind is a nation born of unfortunate circumstances. Originally founded with the purpose of liberating India with the help of Japan, things quickly turned sour as Britain fell and could no longer exert its grip over the subcontinent. It was a major ally of Japan in the Myanmar front during World War II. Rather than joining the Azad Hind as their one government, the people of India formed their own nation. Now, Indians were fighting their own brethren rather than the oppressors, and the war went from a hopeful revolution to a cruel conflict where brother took up arms against brother. Eventually a ceasefire was reached, and the two Indian nations retreated to establish themselves as nations. Bose, however, has not forgotten his dream of a free and united India, and, as darkness looms, he may soon get his chance.

## History

The Azad Hind was formed during the days of the British Raj. As the independence movement in India took its momentum, Subhas Chandra Bose was a member of the Indian National Congress (INC). In the late 1930s, he left the Congress and established the All India Forward Bloc. Which had strong support in the eastern part of India.

From 1940 onwards, Bose began to secretly met both Adolf Hitler and the Japanese government. The INC appreciated Bose's effort for independence, but began to criticize him for his role with Hitler and the Japanese government. The INC arrested Bose multiple times, but Bose escaped.

Bose with the help of the Japanese and a number of British Raj POWs, formed the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) in 1942, playing a decisive role in Japanese operations in Burma and north-east India. The INA was awarded by the Japanese for their bravery in the Burma campaign. The Provisional Government of Free India was established by 1943, however, it was only recognized by the Axis powers and their allies. It controlled Bengal, Sikkim, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

At the same time, the British Empire collapsed. The INC declared its independence in 1943 and established the Republic of India the very same year. However, since the INC denied the claims of Azad Hind. Shortly after, both of them started to fight each other. A ceasefire agreement was finally reached, establishing the current border between the two Indian nations as of 1962.

## Ideology

The Government of Free India is an authoritarian democracy. Bose believes in violent struggle for independence. Along with it, he wants a unified India with a strong military and good discipline. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's political views are in support of complete freedom for India, with a classless society and state socialism.

## Trivia

* Originally, Azad Hind would persecute Abrahamic religions, this aspect has been cut from the lore.
* Real-life cult leader Rajneesh was planned as one of the possible leaders for Azad Hind. His policies would include: decriminalizing homosexuality, abolishing marriage, turning India into a pyramid scheme, and even making John Lennon one of his ministers. Rajneesh's localization files are still in the mod's files
* Another removed leader was Balasaheb Thackeray, as his localization files suggest, he would be a Hindu ultranationalist who aimed to conquer India, Afghanistan, and Indochina to reclaim the Akhand Bharat. He would later move on the conquer every territory with a significant Indian population, including the Persian Gulf and Guyana. Invading Guyana would always end in a Thermonuclear war
	+ This portrayal made very little sense as in real life Balasheb was a Marathi Nationalist when Mahrati people live in the territory of the Republic of India