Union Home Minister Amit Shah today participated in the 75th Hyderabad Liberation Day program held at Parade Grounds, Secunderabad.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah participated in the 75th Hyderabad Liberation Day program held at Parade Grounds, Secunderabad.
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism G Kishan Reddy, the Union Home Secretary and many other dignitaries were present.
Speaking on the occasion, Shah said that on 15th August, 1947, the whole country was celebrating Independence but Hyderabad still did not get independence. For 13 more months the region tolerated the injustices and atrocities of the Nizam, and only when Sardar Patel initiated police action did Telangana finally become independent, he said.
While on this day in 1948 Telangana, Marathwada and Kalyan Karnataka became independent, between 13 and 17 September 1948 many heroes were martyred during a 109-hour struggle, Shah lamented. He said that the Nizam and his Razakars tried to crush the people of the three regions by imposing harsh laws, committing unbearable injustices and mistreating women.
"Our people had agitated against these misdeeds and atrocities, and eventually emerged victorious. Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown acceptance and paid tribute to the Hyderabad Liberation Movement by deciding to celebrate Hyderabad Liberation Day through an Executive Order," Shah gushed.
The home minister also named a huge number of fighters for the region's independence.
"Countless people like Komaram Bheem, Ramji Gond, Swami Ramanand Tirtha, M Chinnareddy, Narasimha Rao, Shaik Bandagi, K V Narasimha Rao, Vidyadhar Guru and Pandit Keshavrao Koratkar laid down their lives for freedom. The country is also paying tributes to Anabheri Prabhakari Rao, Baddam Yella Reddy, Ravi Narayan Reddy, Burugula Ramakrishna Rao, Kaloji Narayana Rao, Digambarrao Bindu, Vamanrao Naik, Aa. Kree. Waghmare and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh B Ramakrishna Rao who lit the flame of rebellion against the Nizam," Shah said.
Shah also saluted many leaders of Kalyan Karnataka who fought against the Nizams and launched an armed struggle against the Razakar Sena, including former MP of Bidar Ramachandra Veerappa, Sardar Sharangoda Patil of Jevargi, M Nagappa of Raichur, Sivakumaraswamy Alvandi who later became a member of the Lok Sabha from Koppal, Jayatirtha Rajpurohit of Kanakagiri, Kollur Mallappa of Yadgir, Benkal Bhimasenrao of Karatagi and many others.
The home minister also expressed gratitude to Sardar Papanna Gaur, Turrebaz Khan, Alauddin, Bhagya Reddy Varma, Pandit Narendra Arya, Vandemataram Ramachandra Rao, Shoybullah Khan, Mogiliya Gaur, Doddi Komarayya, Chakli Ilamma, Narayan Rao Pawar, Jagdish Arya and Gandaiah Arya who he said displayed supreme bravery while fighting the Nizam's security forces. He also paid homage to the patriots who were arrested by the Nizam's Army on 15 August 1947 for hoisting the national flag at Osmania University.
Shah then said that many movements had also contributed in this War for Independence, including Bhaganagar Satyagraha of the Hindu Mahasabha and Arya Samaj, and the Vande Mataram movement launched in Osmania University.
The folk songs of the struggle of that time were still sung by the Hyderabad State Congress founded by Gandhi, and by the farmers of the Bidar region, he added.
The home minister said that there had been a demand from the people of this area for many years that Hyderabad Liberation Day be officially celebrated, but that it was unfortunate that even in 75 years those who ruled here did not dare to celebrate Hyderabad Liberation Day because of vote bank politics.
He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi therefore decided to celebrate Hyderabad Liberation Day considering the sentiments of the people of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana.
Shah said that the purpose of celebrating Hyderabad Liberation Day was to revive the history of the liberation struggle and the tales of the known and unknown martyrs, and through that igniting the flame of patriotism in the youth.
This would revive the spirit of patriotism in the country's youth, he said.
Amit Shah said the purpose for which the Telangana State was created, people who forget these objectives after coming to power, the State's people also forget them. He said the tradition of celebrating Hyderabad Liberation Day started by Modi today, will be celebrated with even greater fervour in the future to honour all freedom fighters who liberated Hyderabad.
The celebration of Hyderabad Liberation Day would definitely continue hereon, Shah promised.