HYDERABAD: As has been the practice for the last few years, the Union government is all set to celebrate September 17, the day the erstwhile Hyderabad state merged with the Indian Union, as the Liberation Day. The state government, on the other hand, will be observing it as the Praja Palana Dinotsavam.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be attending as the chief guest the Union government’s celebrations to be held at the Parade Ground, while Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will preside over the state government’s celebrations at Public Gardens.
Rajnath Singh has already arrived in Hyderabad on Tuesday. He was given a warm reception at the Begumpet airport by state BJP president N Ramachander Rao, MPs Eatala Rajender, DK Aruna, K Laxman and other leaders.
Union Coal & Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy and a host of other BJP leaders will also be attending the celebrations at Parade Ground on Tuesday.
At Public Gardens, Revanth Reddy will unfurl the national flag before participating in the Praja Palana Dinotsavam celebrations. The Congress has also planned to host similar celebrations at all district headquarters.
BJP trying to confuse people on Sept 17, says TPCC chief Meanwhile, questioning the BJP’s role in the merger of Hyderabad state into the Indian Union, TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud accused the saffron party of attempting to confuse the people over September 17.
The Congress will mark the day as Integration Day at Gandhi Bhavan.
Recalling that the Congress had fought against the Nizam’s rule, Mahesh demanded to know where the BJP and the BRS were at that time. He added that neither party had the right to speak on the subject, recalling that under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s government, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel engineered Operation Polo to merge Hyderabad into the Indian Union.
Mahesh alleged that both the BJP and BRS were turning the occasion into a political issue to gain mileage. He added that people of Telangana would not accept such practices.