September 17 a Liberation Day or Integration Day? Debate rages on among parties in Telangana

Political parties in Telangana are yet again getting ready for a showdown today (September 17), the day the erstwhile Nizam-ruled Hyderabad state was acceded to the Indian union in 1948. While September 17 didn’t find much resonance until a few years ago, even after bifurcation of the united Andhra Pradesh state, political parties have ensured that the potboiler keeps simmering.

The issue had taken a curious turn with the Centre notifying September 17 as Telangana Liberation Day last year and conducting programmes accordingly. However, the Telangana government declared the day as National Integration Day and conducted separate programmes.

 Like last year, this year too Union Home Minister, Amit Shah participated in the ‘official’ Telangana Liberation Day ceremony at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad.

Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) yet again skipped the event like the way he did last year. Congress, on the other hand, has decided to hold a massive public meeting, Vijayabheri, in Hyderabad in which the top echelon of the party will participate. The grand old party, through ‘Vijayabheri’, intends to send a strong message that it had kept its promise of giving Telangana statehood in order to outdo other parties on the historic occassion.

The Hyderabad State, which comprised of Telangana and parts of present-day Maharashtra and Karnataka, acceded to India on September 17, 1948, about 13 months after independence. This followed an Indian military operation codenamed Operation Polo against the Nizam’s Army.

While BJP accuses BRS of not observing September 17 as Telangana Liberation Day fearing backlash from Muslim minorities as there is a general perception that there were many Muslims who were killed in police action during Operation  Polo, and celebrating the day as Liberation Day would likely enrage the AIMIM.   

“Our leader chief minister KCR believes in uniting people. Not in dividing them. Unfortunately some political parties are trying to take undue political advantage out of this situation. Commemorating the armed struggle and recognizing the importance of many lives laid, our government had already decided  to officially celebrate the day as Telangana integration day,”  senior BRS leader and advocate Prof Dasoju Sravan told Deccan Herald.

 As the polls for the 119-seat Telangana assembly are just months away, this year September 17 gained more significance with political parties taking a poll position in regard to the issue.

Besides Operation Polo, parties also point out that September 17 is attached to an armed struggle by peasants led by Communists from 1946 to 1951 against the then Nizam's rule in order to protest against the then-prevailing situation of brutalities.

"Irrespective of ideologies of the political parties the fact remains is the armed struggle that had taken place and there is a need to recognize and commemorate the sacrifices.  Giving a communal colour to September 17 whether by MIM or BJP or  any other   party is unwarranted,”  political analyst and senior journalist Telakapalli Ravi told Deccan Herald.

BJP also lined up many programmes all along the day on September 17 to keep the momentum.