Hyderabad: Why rake it up, asks Nizam kin

Hyderabad: The term ‘Liberation Day’ is hurting the Nizam family the most as they are aggrieved by these calls in Hyderabad. Liberation means an action of setting someone free from imprisonment, slavery or oppression but were the people of Hyderabad really oppressed asks the family.

The rule of Mir Osman Ali Khan, Nizam VII, was from 1911 to 1948 and it was considered the golden era of development and prosperity in Hyderabad.

Mr Najaf Ali Khan, grandson of the Nizam, explained, “We are very aggrieved by these kinds of statements. There are the fifth and sixth generations of the Nizam and they are spread all over the world. What is it that he did so wrong that the people are talking in this manner?”

The Nizam was later made the Rajpramukh of the state, made so by the government of India, he said.

“There were one million people who came to attend his funeral and the government declared it as a holiday. He lived for the people and treated every subject without prejudice of caste and creed. Today his memory is being tainted with this hateful political agenda that distorts the truth for political convenience,” Mr Najaf Ali Khan said.

The members of the family have demanded that to know the truth of the events of September 17 the Pandit Sundarlal Committee report should be declassified and made known to the public.

The TRS government had allowed rallies in the state on September 17 and that is being taken badly by the family as it hurts their sentiments.

Another member of the family, on condition of anonymity, explained, “To see what the Nizam gave to Hyderabad is evident in the number of tourists who come to the Old City. They see the Chowmahalla Palace and other heritage structures which are the pride of Hyderabad. It is this legacy which is adored by the world. No one comes to see the Hitec City. History has shown and will protect his legacy even if the government does not want to.”

The Nizam’s descendants point out that he was made the Rajpramukh of the new state for more than a decade by the Indian government. They said people come to the city to see the old monuments and not HiTec City.