Which Indian nationalist leader looked upon a war between Germany and Britain as a godsent opportunity which would enable Indians to exploit the situation to their advantage ?

Subhas Chandra Bose is the nationalist leader who viewed a war between Germany and Britain as a godsent opportunity to exploit British weakness and advance India’s independence. He explicitly saw the European conflict as an opening to press the anti-colonial struggle, criticised British hypocrisy, and did not hesitate to seek Axis assistance to further his cause [1]. At the 1939 Wardha discussions, Bose and the Left argued for taking advantage of Britain’s difficulties and initiating mass action to dislodge colonial rule, distinguishing his stance from Gandhi’s and Nehru’s positions [2]. This pragmatic readiness to leverage wartime conditions and foreign help defined Bose’s strategy for achieving freedom [1].

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 22: Nationalist Response in the Wake of World War II > Means and Ends > p. 422
2. [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 22: Nationalist Response in the Wake of World War II > Congress Stand on World War II: > p. 445