Depending on one’s political viewpoint, Hyderabad commemorates either the state’s “freedom” from Nizami rule or its “integration” into the Indian Union. While Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) observes “Telangana National Integration Day,” Union Home Minister Amit Shah observes the same historic occasion a short distance away under the moniker “Hyderabad Liberation Day.”
On a day that commemorates the incorporation of Hyderabad state into the Indian Union in 1948, the BJP’s “divisive agenda,” as the feisty KCR puts it, is on display. Nobody is unaware of the BJP’s political aspirations; the party sees Telangana as a potential chance since a demoralised Congress is powerless to oppose the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.
Even while disagreements between the Centre and the state have been increasingly frequent in recent months, today’s events are noteworthy. While Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao raised the national flag in Public Gardens, Nampally to commemorate “Telangana National Integration Day,” Union Home Minister Amit Shah also raised the flag to honour “Hyderabad Liberation Day” seven kilometres away in Secunderabad.
KCR questioned why the BJP just “wants to focus on Hyderabad” and was not commemorating the merger of Gujarat’s Junagadh into India on November 9 when he declined an invitation to Amit Shah’s function today.
The BJP’s attempts to outdo KCR are evident as they surpass the TRS’s three-day festival with a year-long commemoration of Hyderabad’s integration that has been paired with the ongoing “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” of the national government.
As the two leaders give separate public speeches and hold individual celebrations, this aggressive, competitive politics is currently being demonstrated.
Today, as part of KCR’s three-day Telangana National Integration Day celebration, which started yesterday with demonstrations held in constituency headquarters by student, women’s, and youth groups, the national flag was raised at the Central Lawns in Nampally’s Public Gardens. At all district headquarters, ministers also saluted and raised the national flag at the same time.
Additionally, a rally showcasing Girijan and Adivasi relics will be held, culminating in a public meeting. The organisation of cultural events and the facilitation of artists and freedom fighters will take place tomorrow.
On the other side, flower tributes to Sardar Vallabhai Patel, the first Home Minister of India, who raised the flag after Hyderabad joined India, are part of Amit Shah’s day-long visit for “Hyderabad Liberation Day.”
The chief ministers of Maharashtra and Karnataka joined Amit Shah. Parts of the old Hyderabad state were transferred to both states. The fact that the BJP controls government in both of the states is an additional significant similarity.
At the Parade Grounds in Secunderabad, Mr. Shah raises the national flag before a cultural performance. To commemorate Narendra Modi’s birthday, Mr. Shah would also hand out “free divyang aids, appliances, and mechanised sanitation equipment to schools” at Classic Gardens in Secunderabad at 2 p.m.
The BJP has used Hyderabad Liberation Day as a weapon against the TRS before. Since years, they have claimed that KCR’s party did not observe the day because it was participating in “vote-bank politics.”
