With Jawaharlal Nehru he founded the Indian Independence League in 1928. He became President of the Indian National Congress Party (1938–39) but quarrelled with other leaders. He escaped from virtual house arrest (1941), went to Germany but failed to secure Nazi support and in 1943 went to Japan and Singapore. There he assumed command of the Indian National Army, recruited from Indian prisoners-of-war, and formed a provisional Indian government.