Every party in Telangana is trying to outdo each other in celebrating Hyderabad Liberation Day
Every party in Telangana is trying to outdo each other in celebrating Hyderabad Liberation Day
State and central governments seem to be in a belligerent mood Officially celebrate Hyderabad Liberation Day This year on September 17th. This is the first time that the day is being officially celebrated by both the governments.
The demand to celebrate Liberation Day has been in the air for almost seven decades, but to no avail as political parties remained inconclusive about it for various reasons. Interestingly, the event is celebrated in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region of Karnataka and the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, which was part of the erstwhile princely state, but not in Hyderabad.
a resolution
The puzzle in the state is now moving towards a proposal in which Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has announced that the festival will be celebrated for three days to mark the beginning of the 75th year of the liberation of the state and integration into the Indian Union. The TRS government is celebrating this day as Telangana Rashtriya Ekta Diwas and celebrations are likely to be held across the state. Celebrations will include hoisting of the national flag at the state, district and mandal levels, with the chief minister unfurling the tricolor in public parks in the heart of the city, mass rallies across the state and a cultural program on September 18. ,
The TRS was forced to take this decision as the BJP-led central government announced that it would observe a year-long celebration, with Home Minister Amit Shah as the chief guest at the inaugural function in Hyderabad on September 17. Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy addressed the letter inviting the Chief Ministers of Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra to attend the inaugural event. The BJP hopes that the Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Maharashtra will participate in this program. The letters from the BJP are part of the party’s efforts to expand its base in Telangana, where it is experiencing a significant increase in its followers.
Not to be left behind, the Congress has also announced its intention to celebrate the milestone for a year. The party said that it is necessary that the sacrifices made by the people in the fight against the Nizam’s rule are explained so that the younger generation can be made aware of them.
Meanwhile, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi wrote to the Chief Minister as well as the Union Home Minister requesting to call Independence Day as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas as the nationalist movement recognized the people of these regions (erstwhile princely states) as an integral part of independent India. I saw ,
rare unity
While each party is trying to outdo each other, most notably, the TRS government is being forced to follow the BJP’s line and announce a program of its own. A war of words broke out between the TRS and the BJP over the official celebration of Liberation Day. The BJP has repeatedly put the TRS government on the mat for not celebrating the day fearing the consequences of its ally AIMIM. The party has said that Mr Rao, who led the separate statehood movement, had promised an official ceremony of the historic occasion, but ignored it after the TRS came to power. The issue reached a climax when the BJP leadership announced its resolve to hold the function. Political observers say that the TRS scrambled to take some decisions in this regard.
Despite political trends, the Diamond Jubilee of Hyderabad’s liberation/unification resulted in a rare political consensus among political parties. It remains to be seen whether these parties will now work to develop common unity on issues of immediate importance.
rajeev.madabhushi@thehindu.co.in