Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao declared on Thursday that the Telangana Rashtra Samiti government will revive the history of the Nizams and do its best to make sure that the fabled jewellery of the erstwhile ruling family returns to Hyderabad from Delhi.
He proposed a book to highlight the history and glory of Nizam rule and the erstwhile Hyderabad State.
Replying to the debate on minority welfare in the Legislative Assembly, the Chief Minister accused the rulers of undivided AP of deliberately resorting to a malicious campaign against the Nizams to project the Telangana region in a bad light and treated Crown Prince Mukarram Jah Bahadur badly.
“There are several great things done by the Nizams. But some rulers in undivided AP maligned the Nizams to project Telangana region in a bad light. They were ill-treated in undivided AP due to which Crown Prince Mukarram Jah Bahadur left the country. The Telangana government will take steps to revive the history of the Nizams, publish a book and tell future generations about the great things done by the Nizams during their rule,” Mr Rao said in the House.
The Chief Minister recalled that he was severely criticised in undivided AP for visiting the Nizam’s samadhi.
“I was heavily criticised for this. I was asked by some Andhra people about this. I questioned why they respect a Britisher, Arthur Cotton, when Britishers occupied our country, ruled for 200 years, and troubled Indians. They told me that they respect him because he had built the Prakasam barrage. Then I told them that the Nizam had built Nizamsagar, which has been meeting our irrigation and drinking water needs for nearly a century. He established an independent judiciary despite being a king,” Mr Rao stated.
MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi urged the Chief Minister to bring back the Nizam’s fabled jewellery, which is stashed in Delhi. “The Nizam’s jewellery is the identity of Hyderabad. If we get back the jewellery, the identity of Hyderabad will come back. As per the Centre’s rules and regulations and the Supreme Court’s directions, the jewellery can be brought back if any member of the royal family is willing to hand over their palace to keep the jewellery in safe custody,” Mr Owaisi said. He added that Princess Esra has offered to hand over the King Koti Palace, which has a bunker, to store the jewellery. “The state government should pursue the case with the Centre seriously and ensure the jewellery comes back here,” Mr Owaisi said.
Mr Rao said he would take up the issue with the Centre, and the government will make all efforts to bring back the jewellery to Hyderabad.
