BJP to Embarrass TRS on Telangana 'Liberation' Day

HYDERABAD: Weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Telangana BJP cadres to continue independence celebrations from August 15 till September 17, the Telangana BJP is preparing to embarrass Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) by demanding celebrations on September 17.

More than a year after India gained independence, the Indian army had liberated the erstwhile Nizam-ruled Hyderabad on September 17, 1948, merging the Deccan region into the Indian union.

Some districts of the then Nizam ruled Hyderabad state are now part of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Citing the examples of Maharashtra and Karnataka celebrating September 17, the TRS president and current chief minister of Telangana, Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao, for several years accused the then governments of undivided Andhra Pradesh of undermining the sentiments of Telangana people.

For years, he led celebrations on September 17 at his party office and continued demanding the then governments to celebrate it as the 'Liberation Day.' Ever since TRS came to power in June 2014, they not only stayed away from officially celebrating September 17 but also refused to allow any outfit to hoist the national flag at government offices and public places.

The BJP and other Opposition parties in Telangana ac cuse chief minister Rao of resorting to minority appeasement politics as some Muslim groups lead by All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen were opposing celebrating September 17 as 'Liberation Day'. Accusing the ruling TRS of insulting the sacrifices of martyrs and victims of tyrannical Nizam rule, the Telangana BJP president Dr K Laxman said the ruling party was stooping down to petty political expediency by undermining self-respect and aspirations of millions of Telangana people.

The Telangana BJP is organising a public meeting in Warangal on September 17 which would be addressed by the party's national president Amit Shah, culminating the tricolour flag march that began on August 15. Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu had insisted on Telangana government to celebrate the 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' while indirectly accusing TRS of resorting to vote bank politics on matters relating to the nation's integrity.