Political showmanship in T’gana over anniversary of Hyderabad’s 1948 accession

By Mohammed Shafeeq

Hyderabad, Sep 4 (SocialNews.XYZ) Telangana appears to be heading for political slugfest with major players gearing up to cash in on September 17, which marks accession of erstwhile Hyderabad State with the Indian Union.

The day is likely to witness an intense competition between the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with both the parties announcing their plans for grand celebrations officially but with different names in tune with their ideologies.

Like every year, BJP will celebrate it as Telangana Liberation Day but this year it has gone a step ahead to announce celebrations under the aegis of ministry of culture of the Central government.

Looking to turn the tables on the BJP, the TRS government decided to celebrate it as 'Telangana National Integration Day' by organising several programmes.

For the first time since Telangana came into existence, the day will witness official celebrations with Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao hoisting the national flag.

Like in the past, the Congress party will celebrate the occasion as Merger Day while in an unprecedented move All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), a friendly party of TRS, too has decided to celebrate September 17, although as National Integration Day.

On September 17, 1948, then Hyderabad state was merged with the Indian Union following India's military action 'Operation Polo', popularly known as 'police action'.

Like the previous governments in undivided Andhra Pradesh, the TRS government in Telangana had rejected demands for officially celebrating the day in view of the reservations of AIMIM and other Muslim groups, who say that Muslims were massacred after 'police action'.

TRS, Congress and other parties celebrate September 17 as 'Telangana Merger Day' by hoisting the national flag and paying tributes to the freedom fighters.

BJP has been demanding for the last two decades that the day should be officially celebrated like in some districts of Maharashtra and Karnataka, which were part of Hyderabad State.

This year, BJP has taken a decision to organise grand celebrations in Hyderabad and invited Union Home Minister Amit Shah and chief ministers of Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Even before Union minister for culture and tourism G. Kishan Reddy, who is from Telangana, could extend an invitation to him, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao declared that the state government will officially celebrate the day as National Integration Day.

Political analysts see KCR's decision as a move to pre-empt BJP's plans which were looking to draw political mileage ahead of next year's Assembly polls and cause an embarrassment to him by extending an invitation.

Within hours after Kishan Reddy spoke about the plans to organise a major event, the State Cabinet took the decision to conduct year-long celebrations to mark the golden jubilee of Hyderabad State's accession.

BJP has been targeting KCR for not celebrating September 17 officially. At every public meeting of BJP, its central leaders including Amit Shah and J.P. Nadda were accusing him of succumbing to pressure from AIMIM.

Interestingly, just before the State Cabinet took the decision, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi demanded that September 17 be celebrated as National Integration Day. The Hyderabad MP wrote a letter to KCR. He dashed off another letter, suggesting that Liberation Day be called National Integration Day.

For the first time in its history, AIMIM also announced that it will celebrate September 17, although as National Integration Day. The party MLAs and other leaders will lead motorcycle rallies on September 16.

AIMIM had always maintained that there is only one Independence Day for the entire country and hence there is no need for separate celebrations in Telangana.

Owaisi also argued in his letters to both Amit Shah and KCR that Hindus and Muslims were advocates of a united India under a democratic, secular and republican government. This is also reflected in the Sunderlal Committee report.

The Committee was appointed by the Government of India to report on the situation after the merger of Hyderabad. The Committee also found that mass violence was committed against common Muslims living in these territories. He attached a report of the committee with his letter.

Political analysts say that both TRS and AIMIM want to deny an opportunity to the BJP to politically capitalise the occasion by targeting them.

Since BJP has intensified the efforts for polarisation by playing up emotive issues, the TRS felt the need to come out with a new strategy to counter the saffron surge.

KCR is believed to have realised that it's not just enough to counter BJP by highlighting his welfare schemes and the progress achieved by the state during his rule of the last eight years and hit upon the idea of celebrating the day officially in tune with the party's philosophy.

He is likely to use the occasion to launch an attack on the saffron party to divide people by giving communal colour to September 17.

KCR hopes to silence the BJP without annoying his friendly party AIMIM and other Muslim organisations.

It is also significant that the TRS government decided to organise the celebrations over the next one year. Programmes will be organised on three days (September 16-18) next year to mark the culmination of year-long celebrations. Even if the Assembly elections are held as scheduled towards the end of next year, this would deny BJP an opportunity to politically capitalise on the issue in the run-up to the polls.

However, some analysts are of the view that by taking this decision, KCR has gone on back foot and the BJP may claim victory.

"After displaying his reluctance to observe September 17 as a day of prominence in Telangana history, KCR will start on the back foot. On the other hand, BJP is setting the narrative when it comes to not just September 17 but on the entire political spectrum of Telangana State," says political analyst P. Raghavendra Reddy.

"TRS Government agreeing to celebrate National Integration Day indicates the pressure BJP created on the issue. It would be interesting to see if KCR will take part in the celebrations to be held by the Ministry of Culture," he said.

For several years, BJP has been pushing the state government to officially celebrate Telangana Liberation Day.

Last year, Amit Shah had addressed a public meeting in Nirmal district on September 17 to apparently draw political mileage in the ensuing by-election to Huzurabad Assembly seat.

This was not the first time that a central minister will be addressing a public meeting to mark the day.

In 2020, BJP had raised the issue during elections to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). While campaigning for the party, Amit Shah had said that his party wants to free Hyderabad from Nizam culture.

In 2019, then Union minister for Parliamentary affairs Prahlad Joshi unfurled the national flag at the BJP state headquarters in Hyderabad to mark the occasion.

In 2017, then Union home minister Rajnath Singh had addressed a public meeting organised by the BJP in Nizamabad.

Source: IANS