The Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations were held in a grand manner at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Telangana State Office in Nampally. BJP Telangana State President N. Ramchander Rao stated that while August 15 marks India’s independence from British rule, September 17 marks the liberation of the people of Telangana from the autocratic rule of the Nizam. He said that September 17 is therefore equally sacred and historic for the people of Telangana.
On the occasion, BJP Telangana State President N. Ramchander Rao, along with Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, hoisted the national flag. Former Governor Bandaru Dattatreya, MLC Malk Komuraiah, senior party leaders, office-bearers and a large number of party workers participated in the celebrations.
Speaking on the occasion, N. Ramchander Rao described September 17 as one of the most sacred and historic days in the history of Telangana. He recalled that after Independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel integrated more than 550 princely states into the Indian Union, laying the foundation for the unity of India through his determined leadership.
He recalled that people of the erstwhile Hyderabad State had fought against the autocratic rule of the Nizam and the atrocities committed by the Razakars, with many sacrificing their lives in the struggle. He said that despite the Nizam’s efforts to keep Hyderabad as an independent entity, Sardar Patel initiated Operation Polo, leading to the integration of the Hyderabad State into the Indian Union.
Rao stated that the BJP has been demanding for decades that September 17 be officially observed by the government as ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day.’ He alleged that
former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had earlier demanded official recognition of the day while in opposition, but after coming to power, his government did not officially observe it as Hyderabad Liberation Day.
He further alleged that while the historic day is commemorated prominently in the Karnataka and Maharashtra regions that were part of the erstwhile Hyderabad State, successive governments in Telangana have refrained from calling it Hyderabad Liberation Day for political reasons. Rao also criticised the renaming of the occasion by different governments, stating that the previous BRS government observed it as ‘Telangana National Integration Day’, while the present Congress government observes it as ‘People’s Governance Day.’ He questioned why the Congress and BRS were reluctant to call September 17 ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day.’ He alleged that the Congress government, despite describing itself as a government of people’s governance, had instead become a government of “people’s deception.”
Reiterating the significance of the day, Rao said that while August 15 marks India’s freedom from British rule, September 17 marks the liberation of the people of Telangana from the Nizam’s rule. He said that September 17 should therefore be considered as important and significant as August 15 by the people of Telangana.
On the occasion, he also conveyed heartfelt birthday greetings on behalf of Telangana BJP and the people of the state to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose birthday falls on September 17.
