BJP Call To Make Sept. 17 Telangana Liberation Day
BJP state president N. Ramchander Rao urged the Telangana government to officially observe September 17 as Telangana Liberation Day.
BJP state president N. Ramchander Rao has demanded that the Telangana government officially observe September 17 as Telangana Liberation Day to preserve the history of the region’s liberation struggle for future generations.
Speaking after paying tributes at the martyrs’ memorial at Amaradham in Parakala on Wednesday, Ramchander Rao said the government should honour the sacrifices of the Parakala martyrs and recognise the people’s resistance against the rule of the Nizam.
He said the massacre carried out by the Razakars against the people of Parakala eight decades ago was reminiscent of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He said 19 people were massacred at Chapalabanda in Parakala and three others at nearby Lakshmipur, while more than 200 people were injured.
He cited the killing of hundreds at Gundrampally and the shooting of villagers at Bairanpally as examples of Razakar atrocities.
Ramchander Rao recalled that Hyderabad state joined the Indian Union on September 17, 1948, after the Nizam surrendered following Operation Polo led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He said leaders including P.V. Narasimha Rao, Swami Ramananda Tirtha, Vande Mataram Ramachandra Rao, Shoaibullah Khan and Turrebaz Khan had fought for the integration of Hyderabad with India.
He alleged that the previous BRS government, despite promising to officially observe September 17, ignored the issue after coming to power due to pressure from the Majlis. He accused the Congress government of continuing the same approach for vote-bank politics and questioned why Telangana was not officially observing the day when Karnataka and Maharashtra were doing so.
Ramchander Rao said the Centre was officially observing September 17 at Secunderabad Parade Grounds and demanded that the state government follow suit. He said a BJP government would include the history of the liberation struggle in school textbooks.
He appealed to people and youth to hoist the national flag in every village and educational institution on Sept 17 and pay tributes to the martyrs with Vande Mataram and the national anthem.