Geography Alone Cannot Unite a Nation, Says V-P

Hyderabad: Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan on Thursday said freeing the communities and people caught in long-run violence by eradicating Left-Wing extremism in Telangana and five other states is yet another important chapter in the country, after the liberation of Telangana from tyrannical rule of Nizam.

Addressing celebrations to mark Hyderabad Liberation Day, officially organised by the Union culture ministry for the fifth year, Radhakrishan said Hyderabad’s liberation was a decisive chapter in the history of independent Bharat and stated that the day reminded that national integration must lead to inclusion

He said the story of Hyderabad reflected the enormous challenges faced by a young nation in bringing together people, who had emerged from different political circumstances. It was a story of statesmanship, courage and sacrifice, followed by the larger and continuing task of building a constitutional democracy in which every citizen has an equal place. “It is not merely a commemoration of a historic date, but a reminder of the journey of nation-building and the values that continue to bind Bharat together.”

Recalling Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s contribution to national integration, the Vice-President said that as the first Union Home Minister, Sardar Patel carried an extraordinary responsibility at a time when India was recovering from Partition and simultaneously consolidating hundreds of princely states into one Union. “Sardar Patel Ji laid the steely foundation of a strong, unified Ek Bharat,” Radhakrishnan said.

“Political integration can bring territories together; constitutional democracy brings citizens together,” he said, stressing that national unity cannot be sustained by geography alone and must be strengthened through equal rights, equal dignity and equal opportunity.

Paying tribute to the people’s movement behind the Hyderabad struggle, Radhakrishnan said that students, intellectuals, writers, social workers, political activists, farmers and ordinary citizens participated in the struggle and endured imprisonment, violence and immense personal hardship.

He paid homage to patriots including Ramji Gond, Turrebaz Khan and Komaram Bheem, among many others, and said their courage reminds us that history is not made only in government offices or by famous statesmen, but also by ordinary citizens who refuse to accept injustice as their destiny.

The Vice-President inspected the parade and witnessed the impressive March Past and colourful cultural performances, which depicted how Razakars have carried out atrocities on farmers, women and common citizens.

The cultural performances portrayed the struggle, valour and sacrifices of the people during the liberation and integration of Hyderabad, paying tribute to the courage and resilience of those who contributed to this historic chapter of India’s nation-building journey. Earlier, he laid a wreath at the War Memorial, paying tributes to the bravehearts.

He also visited the exhibition set up by the Central Bureau of Communication, showcasing the struggle, sacrifices and historic journey towards the liberation and integration of Hyderabad with the Indian Union.

Union culture and tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that ‘Operation Polo’, which resulted in the liberation of Hyderabad, was not a military exercise, but a victory of justice over injustice and atrocities of Nizam’s private army.

Trying to connect himself with the historic incident which liberated Hyderabad from the autocratic rule of Nizam, Shekhawat said he hails from Jodhpur, the veerbhumi of Marwaris, wherein every mother imbibes ‘Saurya, Sahas and Balidan’ to their children from the young age and pointed out that the members of the Jodhpur regiment played a key role in Operation Polo.

Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Union minister G. Kishan Reddy, Union minister of state Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Malkajgiri MP Etala Rajender and former Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao participated in the event.