Hyderabad: The controversy over celebrating September 17 as Hyderabad Liberation Day or as a day when Hyderabad state merged into the Indian Union resurfaced again on Saturday with Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and TRS MP K. Kavitha airing contrasting views on the issue.
While pro-Hindu groups and BJP have been claiming Hyderabad State that was under Nizam Rule in 1948 was liberated by Indian government, pro-Leftist, pro-Muslim groups and a few political parties say that it was a forcible merger of Hyderabad State into the Indian Union by Army action.
Addressing the Tiranga Yatra taken up by the Union government, Mr Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday suggested the TRS government to officially celebrate Liberation of Hyderabad State on September 17 and said the issue should not be linked to politics.
Addressing a rally at KBR Park, the Union minister said though people celebrated Independence Day across the country on August 15, 1947, those living in the erstwhile Hyderabad State had to wait till September 17, 1948 “when the “state was liberated from Nizam’s tyrannical rule and integrated into India”.
Elsewhere, at a meeting in Karimnagar district, Ms Kavitha requested Mr Venkaiah Naidu not to drag the government into controversies by asking September 17 to be celebrated as Hyderabad Liberation Day.
She said both the TRS government and the party have been celebrating September 17 as a day when Hyderabad State was merged into the Indian Union and as such “there should not be any controversy”, Ms Kavitha .
