Amit Shah avoids political criticism, says none celebrated Hyderabad Liberation Day fearing vote bank politics

HYDERABAD: Strategically avoiding to make any mention of any political parties, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has obliquely said that no successive Governments ever celebrated the Hyderabad Liberation Day as an official programme fearing vote bank politics.

He asked political parties not to shy away from the fact of Nizam’s atrocities on innocent people of Telangana, lest the voters turn away from them in elections.

Addressing the Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations at the Secunderabad Parade Grounds on Sunday, the Home Minister said that for 75 years many Governments refused to celebrate September 17 as the liberation day of Hyderabad to appease minorities.

He declared that if voted to power in Telangana the BJP State Government would celebrate the liberation day officially. He wondered what message the Telangana Government was sending by celebrating September 17 as National Integration Day.

“For decades no Government ever remembered this day. They were afraid of hurting the feelings of others. I thank Narendra Modi for declaring 17 September as Liberation Day to be celebrated by the Union Ministry of Culture, so that the new generations understand the importance of the day. On this day we must rededicate ourselves for nation-building,” Amit Shah said.

Recalling the days after India freed itself from British rule, Shah said that while Indians were celebrating freedom by distributing sweets, there was mayhem in Hyderabad in the hands of Razakars led by Qasim Rizvi, “In addition to the then Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Munshi ji there was a pivotal role played by the people of Hyderabad and Telangana in securing freedom to the region ruled by Nizam in Karnataka and Maharashtra,” Amit Shah said.

“I salute those martyrs who fought for the liberation of Hyderabad and I salute Sardar Patel who made the liberation of Hyderabad possible. Without Patel there is no Hyderabad, integration of Hyderabad with India would have been delayed further, “he pointed out.

Recalling the days leading to the liberation, he opined that Nizam's atrocities were nowhere mentioned. He said that Patel felt that Hyderabad under Nizam was like cancer, and there was no other way than surgically removing it.

“But unfortunately vote bank politics made the elected Governments in later years shy away from celebrating the day. If they turn away from the reality, people will one day turn away from those parties. We must learn to respect the history,” the Home Miniter said.

Recalling a few incidents that occurred during the struggle, he said 1,100 people in Parakala gathered against the Nizam’s rule and the Razakars like General Reginald Dyer fired at them killing many and hurting 150. There were similar incidents reported from Parbhani and other places. But nowhere you find details of those incidents,” he rued.

He also said that September 17 the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was being celebrated as ‘Seva Din’. Under nine years of his rule, India now became the fifth-largest economy and the fourth nation to reach the moon. “G20 further enhanced our image. We transformed G 20 to G 21 by adding Africa. Climate change and economics become world agenda by Delhi Declaration,” Amit Shah said.

Earlier Amit Shah offered floral tributes at the War Memorial and at the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Home Minister of the Union of India. He reviewed the impressive parade in which CRPF, RAF, CISF and Cobra units participated. Most of the para-military forces that participated in the parade were drawn from units that fought battles with terrorists and Maoists.

The Union Minister hoisted the national flag and laid the foundation stone for the first-ever Separated Family Accommodation (SFA) for ‘Sashatra Seema Bal’ personnel of south India at Ibrahimpatnam in virtual mode. He unveiled two postal covers of Shoebullah Khan and Ramji Gond. He also launched a short film on the liberation of Hyderabad.

On the other hand Union Minister and State BJP president G Kishan Reddy distributed tricycles to differently-abled persons and felicitated freedom fighters that took part in Hyderabad liberation. Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla also participated in the Liberation Day celebrations.