Leaders of various political parties vied with each other to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Liberation of Hyderabad State in Telangana region.
The Congress, Left parties, TRS, Telugu Desam Party, Lok Satta Party besides the newly launched Praja Rajyam organised separate programmes where they honoured freedom fighters. Unlike in Maharashtra and Karnataka, the State government did not organise any official programme in spite of the demand by various parties that it should celebrate the occasion.
It was on this day in 1948 that Hyderabad State was merged with the Indian Union following a military operation, also known as “police action” ordered by then Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, surrendered to the Indian Army after initially refusing to accede to the Indian Union for 13 months when India attained independence from British rule.
Propriety questioned
At a joint public meeting to commemorate the Telangana Armed Struggle against the Nizam, the CPI and CPI(M) questioned the propriety of other mainstream political parties celebrating the event and said it was obviously to gain political mileage.
CPI (M) State secretary B.V. Raghavulu said the BJP had no reason to celebrate, especially in the present circumstances when its cadre attacked Christians in Orissa and Karnataka. CPI State secretary K. Narayana said these parties had no connection whatsoever with events while the BJP even claimed that the day symbolised the triumph of the struggle by people against the Nizam-led Muslims.
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), on the other hand, praised the Nizam, who patronised the land owning class against whom the Communists waged a relentless struggle which resulted in the death of 4,000 people.
The Deshmukhs, Patels and Patwaris who constituted the feudal lords in Nizam’s rule cut across religious lines.
Freedom fighters feted
At Gandhi Bhavan, APCC president D. Srinivas hoisted the national flag and felicitated freedom fighters – M. S. Rajalingam, Paga Pulla Reddy, Mydam Ramachandraiah, K. Prem Raj Yadav, V.R.Ramachary and S. Raghuveer Rao.
Praja Rajyam president Chiranjeevi was present at the hoisting of the national flag in the party office by a freedom fighter Narayan Rao Pawar who was said to be a follower of Ravi Narayan Reddy, the doyen of the Telangana Armed Struggle. Chiranjeevi said the party would accord the status of ‘Independence Day’ to September 17 if it came to power.
Historic event
The Telugu Desam observed the historic event with the party president, N. Chandrababu Naidu unfurling the national flag and honouring seven freedom fighters, Narayan Rao Pawar, B. Sridhar, Parsa Satyanarayana, Mallu Swarajyam, N. Srinivas Reddy, Pitchi Reddy and Ch. Rajeswara Rao.
The TRS, the Lok Satta Party, the Freedom Fighters Forum For Social Justice observed the Hyderabad State Liberation and Arya Pratinidhi Sabha which was in the forefront of the struggle, also organised celebrations.
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