Hyderabad to witness high octane political activity on September 17 as BRS, BJP, Congress, AIMIM plan rallies

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad will be reverberating with high octane political activity on September 17 with the likes of Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi, K Chandrashekar Rao and Asaduddin Owaisi heading their parties' respective programmes on Sunday.

The ruling BRS will celebrate September 17 as the National Integration Day to commemorate the merger of the princely State of Hyderabad with the Indian Union in 1948. Programmes have been charted out across the State and ministers have been made incharges of all district headquarters where the event would be held. 

While Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao would participate in the event at Public Gardens in Hyderabad and address a gathering, ministers would hoist the National Flag in the districts.

Meanwhile Amit Shah would organise the BJP's version of National Integration Day, christened as Telangana Liberation Day, at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad. The BJP has been trying to claim credit for observing the Hyderabad Liberation Day after police action by Sardar Patel on September 17, 1948.

While the BRS aims to celebrate the day recognising the merger of Hyderabad and India, the BJP wants to celebrate it as the end of the Nizam's rule. By doing so, the BJP aims to target both the ruling BRS and it's 'friendly' partner, the AIMIM. The saffron party had been claiming that the BRS did not observe the day all these years to avoid upsetting ally AIMIM.

The Congress which is raring to come to power at the Centre and in Telangana, is organising a high decibel activity for two days in Hyderabad.

The who's who of the grand old party including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Chief Ministers of Congress ruled states would be descending in Hyderabad.

The party has convened a meeting of the newly constituted Congress Working Committee (CWC) at Taj Krishna on the afternoon of September 16. On September 17, an extended CWC, which includes presidents of State Pradesh Congress Committees, Chief Ministers of Congress ruled states and other elected representatives would be held in the morning. In the evening, the party is planning to hold a massive rally at Tukkuguda near Shamshabad.

The AIMIM meanwhile is organising a Tiranga bike rally and public meeting to mark the National Integration Day. Party President Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi announced that the Tiranga rally would start from Dargah Yousufain, Nampally (after Namaz-e-Zohar) to Hockey Grounds, (Edigah Bilali) Masab Tank at 1 pm. The public meeting would be held at the Hockey Grounds in Masab Tank at 2 PM. Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM Floor Leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, party legislators and corporators would address the meeting.

With all the national parties and the BRS and AIMIM conducting their activities in Hyderabad, the airs of the city would be filled with a political aroma. Or, is it odour?