HYDERABAD: Referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as "communal elements”, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday said that the communal elements which have no role in the integration of Hyderabad State into Indian Union are trying to split Telangana society with their perverted attempts.
He was speaking after hoisting the national flag as part of ‘Telangana Jateeya Samaikyata Dinostavam’ (Telangana National Integration Day) here in Hyderabad on Saturday.
Addressing the august gathering attended by VVIPs, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao cautioned the state and nation to move forward while observing the developments happening around them and understanding the good and bad. He said that the “disruptive forces” which have no role in Telangana history are trying to distort and malign history for their political benefits.
Urging people to be alert, he said, “Telangana itself an example to understand how things would turn unfortunate if the people are unmindful. Telangana has lived a cursed life for 58 years due to a mistake that happened in the past (the formation of Andhra Pradesh State on linguistic basis),” he said. He added that people had to sacrifice lives and languished in jails to achieve a separate statehood.
Rao said if religious fanaticism grows, it will destroy the very life of the nation and result in deterioration of human relationships. Rao said, "They plant thorns in societal relations for their narrow interests. They are spreading hatred among people with their venomous comments. This kind of division between people is in no way justified."
Rao's comments came minutes after Union Home Minister Amit Shah hoisted the national flag at parade grounds marking the celebrations of Hyderabad Liberation Day' elsewhere in the city.
The state government celebrated September 17 as 'Telangana Jateeya Samaikyata Dinotsavam' (Telangana National Integration Day) while the Centre named it as 'Hyderabad Liberation Day'.
The Telangana government had on September 3 announced its decision to observe September 17 as Telangana National Integration Day.
September 17 is the day erstwhile Hyderabad State under Nizam rule merged with the Indian Union in 1948.
(With inputs from online desk)