E-Paper
BJP welcomes Centre’s call on Sept 17 as Hyderabad Liberation Day
The notification said Hyderabad did not achieve independence for 13 months after independence on 15th August 1947 and was under Nizam’s rule
Hyderabad
The Bharatiya Janata Party in Telangana on Wednesday welcomed the decision of the central government to celebrate September 17 as “Hyderabad Liberation Day.”
The Union ministry of home affairs on Tuesday issued a gazette notification to celebrate September 17 – the day when erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad was acceded to Indian Union – as Hyderabad Liberation Day every year.
The notification said Hyderabad did not achieve independence for 13 months after independence on 15th August 1947 and was under Nizam’s rule. The region was liberated from Nizam’s rule on September 7, 1948, after a police action namely ‘Operation Polo’.
“There has been a demand from the people of the region to celebrate September 17 as Hyderabad Liberation Day. In order to remember martyrs who liberated Hyderabad and to infuse the flame of patriotism in the minds of the youth, the Government of India has decided to celebrate the 17th day of September every year as Hyderabad Liberation Day,” the notification said.
Describing the decision as historic, BJP Telangana unit president and Union minister for culture and tourism G Kishan Reddy said it marked a significant step towards remembering martyrs who fought for Hyderabad’s freedom and infusing the spirit of national pride in the hearts of the next generation.
In a message on X (formerly Twitter), Reddy said the move honoured the sacrifices made and instilled a patriotic feeling in the minds of the youth. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for recognising this momentous occasion.
“This day will forever be etched in Hyderabad’s history, a testament to the courage and resilience of those who fought for its liberation,” Kishan Reddy said.
BJP national general secretary and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay also thanked Modi and Shah for the historic decision. “From falsification of history by past rulers, to now officially celebrating the reality in the BJP era,” Bandi Sanjay posted on ‘X’. “Grateful for your support and to hear every demand from Telangana,” he said.
Senior BJP leader and former governor of Maharashtra Ch Vidyasagar Rao also lauded the Centre’s decision to celebrate September 17 as Hyderabad liberation day. He reminded that the Maharashtra and Karnataka governments had been officially celebrating the liberation day on September 17 in the areas which were earlier part of the Hyderabad state. “Only Telangana has not been officially celebrating it,” he said.
BJP MLA fromGoshamahal T Raja Singh also welcomed the Centre’s decision and thanked the Prime Minister for the same. He said the Modi government had taken a commendable decision.
“It will help in conveying the glorious history of the Hyderabad Liberation War to the young generation across the country,” he said.
Though the Centre has issued notification now, the Union ministry has been organising celebrations on September 17 for the last two years. On both the occasions, Union Home Minister Amit Shah hoisted the national flag and reviewed the parade by contingents of paramilitary forces.
The same year, the previous BRS government started officially celebrating September 17 as National Integration Day. The Congress party has been celebrating the day as Hyderabad merger day.
The BJP, in its manifesto for Telangana Assembly elections, had promised a celebration of September 17 as Hyderabad Liberation Day. The issue came to the fore once again in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing BJP workers in Hyderabad on Tuesday, Shah slammed Congress and BRS for not celebrating Hyderabad Liberation Day due to vote bank politics.
