bhubaneswar nearly 83 years after its formation by netaji subhas chandra bose and 74 years since it adopted the flag showing a leaping tiger with hammer and sickle in a red background the all india forward bloc has decided to shed its communist image and return to the roots one of socialism that netaji had propagated the party in its twoday national council meeting in bhubaneswar decided to drop the hammer and sickle and retain the leaping tiger symbol in the flag originally designed by netaji himself the original flag designed by netaji subhas chandra bose and the hammer and sickle added laterthe party observed that keeping the hammer and sickle showed that the forward bloc was close to the communist parties and had deviated from its socialist origin it also observed that this propaganda somehow blocked the path of forward bloc to grow as an independent socialist party a release issued by the party pointed outsubhas chandra boses grand nephews chandra bose and abhijit ray confirmed that netaji had designed the original flag which had a leaping tiger with the tricolour in the backdrop netaji had initially formed forward bloc within the congress later when he was suspended from congress in 1939 he floated it as a separate political outfit the flag he had designed was in use for about a decade it was only when the forward bloc joined the left front that the colour was changed to red and the hammer and sickle were added to it many old timers did not like the change and had quit the party preferring to support it from outside i have heard that the party has now decided to revert to the old flag in its endeavour to return to subhas boses ideology the move is welcome said abhijitchandra bose with whom forward bloc secretary naren chatterjee had met around six months ago and had discussed the proposal to change the flag said if the party reverts to the springing tiger with the tricolour he is fine with it but if the party retains the red backdrop and removes just the hammer and sickle it would then only insult the cpm in any case to revive the party forward bloc has to return to netajis ideology which was the indian way of socialism and not communism reasoned bose who is now a member of bjp but has differences with the partys ideology chandra said the tiger has become skinny in the new flag the tiger needs to be more robust he addedthe party convention was attended by around 46 delegates from 19 states announcing the partys future course of action former mp and all india forward bloc general secretary debabrata biswas said they would launch peoples protest against rising fuel price and that of medicines and essentials commodities