By IANS,
Hyderabad : The 61st anniversary of Telangana ‘Liberation Day’ was celebrated Thursday with various political parties paying rich tributes to the freedom fighters who laid down their lives for the accession of Hyderabad state to India in 1948.
Unfurling of the national flag, meetings at the offices of political parties and felicitation of Telangana freedom fighters marked the day, which is not officially celebrated.
The ruling Congress party, the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Praja Rajyam Party (PRP), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) and Lok Satta celebrated the day by unfurling the national flag and organising meetings.
It was on this day that then Hyderabad state acceded to the Indian Union as the last Nizam or ruler of the princely state surrendered before the Indian Army. The princely state comprising Telangana region and parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra attained freedom 13 months and two days after India got independence on August 15, 1947.
BJP and TRS reiterated their demand that the state government officially celebrate the Hyderabad Liberation Day. It pointed out that Karnataka and Maharashtra were officially celebrating this day every year.
The successive governments avoided official celebrations keeping in view the sensitivities of a section of people.
Some Muslim organisations and leaders claim that a large number of civilians were killed by the Indian Army during the “police action” against Nizam’s forces.
Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh and last Nizam of Hyderabad, had refused to accede to India after the country attained independence.
He wanted to merge Hyderabad with Pakistan or remain as an independent state. His forces were accused of brutally suppressing the movement for Hyderabad’s merger with India.
At Gandhi Bahavan, the headquarters of Congress party, state president D. Srinivas unfurled the national flag and said the party would continue the policies of late chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy for the development of Telangana.
Chief Minister K. Rosaiah and Rajya Sabha member K.V.P. Ramachanrda Rao were also present.
TRS, which is fighting for separate statehood to Telangana region, celebrated the day in Hyderabad and the remaining nine districts of the region by unfurling the national flag.
TRS president K. Chandrasekhara Rao led the celebrations by hoisting the tricolour at the party headquarters Telangana Bhavan here.
KCR, as the TRS chief is popularly known, alleged that some elements were trying to distort Telangana history and this was hurting the sentiments of people of the region.
“This will not be tolerated and we will teach them a lesson through our struggle,” he said.
KCR also praised the Nizam or the ruler of erstwhile Hyderabad State.
“If you (people of Andhra Pradesh) respect Sir Arthur Cotton (British engineer), we hold Nizam in high esteem for building Nizamsagar (an irrigation project in Telangana),” he said.
TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu felicitated Telangana freedom fighters at NTR Trust Bhavan, the party headquarters.
The BJP and the two communist parties paid rich tributes to the martyrs of Telangana at the memorial in front of the state assembly building.
PRP president K. Chiranjeevi said his party alone could fulfil the dreams of the freedom fighters by ensuring social justice.