'Those who shy away from celebrating Hyderabad Liberation Day remain traitors': Amit Shah

HYDERABAD: Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah, in a direct retort to those who were not celebrating Telangana Liberation Day for what it is by changing the name of the occasion, asked them to remove the fear of Razakars (MIM) from their minds, as he felt that 75 years after independence, Razakars could no longer influence the decisions of the State.

Addressing the people on the occasion of Telangana Liberation Day from Parade Grounds on Saturday, Shah warned those who were feeling shy to observe September 17 as the liberation day that they will remain traitors of the liberation struggle, during which thousands had laid down their lives.

On September 17, 1948, the then Hyderabad state, which was under the rule of Nizam was annexed into the Union of India following a military action, initiated by the then Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

When India gained independence, the Razakars called for the Hyderabad state to either join Pakistan, or to become a Muslim dominion while resisting its merger with the Union of India.

Noting that it was unfortunate that for the past 74 years, political parties didn't have the spine to celebrate the occasion, Shah has urged the people not to forget those who were still shying away from observing the day for what it should be commemorated for. 

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"Though they (TRS) had made promises during the Telangana movement that they will observe the day as the liberation day, after coming to power, in fear of Razakars (MIM) they took a U-turn. I'm not surprised, but happy that after Modi has declared the celebration of the occasion officially, everybody has decided to join the celebrations," he quipped.

Had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel not have conducted Operation Polo in 1948, Shah said that Hyderabad couldn't have been liberated for many more years.

"Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel knew that the dream of 'Akhand Bharat' couldn't be realised if Hyderabad was not part of the country," he reminded.

Shah felt that there was a need to raise the spirit of patriotism by remembering those who made their ultimate sacrifice for the cause of liberation of Hyderabad State.

He said that research needed to be done in universities on the liberation struggle and there had to be documentation of the atrocities perpetrated by Razakars during the struggle.

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Shah paid rich tributes to the martyred police forces at the martyrs memorial in Secunderabad. After hoisting the national flag at the Parade Grounds, he received the guard of honour in the parade of 12 contingents of the central reserve police forces and the central industrial security forces. 

Special attraction on the occasion was the parade of 1,300 cultural artists from Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra, whose musical and dance performances enthralled the audience.

(With online desk inputs)