Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy has renewed the political debate over September 17, saying Telangana has not received adequate recognition for the day that marked the end of Nizam rule in the erstwhile Hyderabad State in 1948.
Reddy made the remarks while inspecting arrangements at Parade Grounds in Hyderabad for the Centre's Hyderabad Liberation Day programme scheduled for September 17. He said other regions commemorate their liberation anniversaries officially and argued that Telangana should receive comparable recognition.
He referred to areas of the former Hyderabad State that later became part of Maharashtra, where September 17 has been commemorated as Hyderabad Liberation Day. Reddy said Telangana had not seen the same level of statewide observance despite the history shared by those regions.
Kishan Reddy Targets Congress and BRS
Reddy also criticised both the present Congress government and the previous BRS government over their approach to the anniversary. The BJP has for years sought an official state observance specifically under the Liberation Day name.
The Telangana government, however, observes September 17 as Telangana Praja Palana Dinotsavam, or People's Governance Day. The state has prepared a programme at Public Gardens in Nampally, where Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is scheduled to participate after paying tributes at the Martyrs' Memorial near the Assembly.
The difference in terminology has remained a recurring political issue. The BJP describes September 17 as Liberation Day, while the former BRS government used National Integration Day. The Congress government adopted Praja Palana Dinotsavam after coming to power, presenting the anniversary as the transition from autocratic rule to people's governance.
Centre Plans Parade Grounds Event
The Centre's September 17 programme at Parade Grounds will have Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan as chief guest. Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is also scheduled to attend.
Reddy said this will be the fifth such celebration organised by the Centre in Hyderabad. The programme is expected to include a parade by paramilitary personnel, Telangana cultural performances and a special presentation involving 1,000 artistes. An exhibition will also focus on Nizam-era events, the resistance to his rule and the Indian military operation of 1948.
Reddy described the commemoration as a tribute to people who died during the struggle against the Nizam and said it should not be viewed only through party politics.
September 17 marks the events of 1948 when the princely Hyderabad State came under the Indian Union following Operation Polo. The differing descriptions of that anniversary continue to shape the political dispute in Telangana, with the Centre and the state government once again preparing separate commemorations under different names this year.