Union Minister G Kishan Reddy also asked the Telangana CM to extend his cooperation for the Centre's celebrations of 75 years of the liberation of Hyderabad State.
Union Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North-Eastern Region G Kishan Reddy today wrote an open letter to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao urging him to extend his cooperation for the Centre's celebrations of 75 years of the liberation of Hyderabad State, in Telangana.
In his letter, he told the CM that the union government had been celebrating Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to highlight the contributions of those heroes who had made huge sacrifices for the freedom and unification of this country, and that as part of this initiative, the government was also identifying events and individuals that had not been given the attention that was deserved over the years.
"562 princely states had announced their merger into the Indian Union after the independence of the country, but there was resistance from the erstwhile state of Hyderabad. On 17th September, 1948, more than one year after India secured independence from the British, the erstwhile state of Hyderabad, comprising the entire state of Telangana and some districts in Maharashtra and Karnataka, got independence from the brutality and tyranny of the Nizam's rule. This was possible due to the swift and timely action of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel under Operation Polo. As a son of the soil and a person with an accentuated awareness of this history and a nuanced understanding of the struggle, you do well appreciate the significance of the Liberation Movement," he wrote.
He said that the union government, after careful consideration of the various aspects, had decided to celebrate the 75 years of Hyderabad State's liberation, and had approved year-long commemoration of the seminal struggle from 17th September, 2022, to 17th September, 2023.
"While the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka already commemorate this day as Marathwada Liberation day and Hyderabad-Karnataka Liberation Day respectively, the 75th year celebrations give us a unique opportunity to celebrate it across the 3 States in a manner befitting the sacrifices made by the previous generations. The objective is to make the current generation, both from the region under consideration and from the rest of India, aware of the story of resistance, valour and sacrifice," he said.
Reddy said that the union government had proposed to launch the Liberation Day celebrations at Hyderabad, which was the epicentre of the struggle for freedom. He said that the inaugural program of this commemoration was scheduled to be organized at Parade Grounds in Hyderabad on 17th September 2022, and told the CM that union home minister Amit Shah would grace the event as Chief Guest. Reddy urged the CM to be the Guest of Honour at the program.
He also urged the CM to observe 17th September 2022, the inaugural day of commemoration, with suitable events across the State, as also identify events and commemorations to be held throughout the year and share plans with the union government in order to take a holistic approach in planning the year-long commemorations.