KTR counters Amit Shah's comments on Telangana liberation day

In a strong counter, Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao said that Amit Shah's blatant misrepresentation of the historical facts regarding Telangana liberation was unbecoming of the stature of a Union Home Minister. He asked Shah why the Centre is celebrating August 15 as Independence Day but not as Liberation Day.

Hyderabad (Telangana) : Telangana Minister and BRS Working President K T Rama Rao on Monday strongly countered the remarks passed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah against the KCR Government for not celebrating the Hyderabad Liberation Day on September 17. At a meeting in Karnataka's Bidar yesterday, Amit Shah slammed the BRS government in Telangana for commemorating the selfless sacrifices of martyrs in the fight against the Nizams.

Giving a strong reply in a tweet here today, KTR explained to Amit Shah that 17th September has been celebrated by Telangana Govt officially as National Integration Day because the day marked the integration of the Hyderabad state with the Indian union in 1948. KTR said that Amit Shah's blatant misrepresentation of the historical facts was unbecoming of the stature of a Union Home Minister.

KTR also shared some news clips to support his explanation of the historical events for Amit Shah's reference. The liberation day celebration has always been a bone of contention between the ruling KCR-led Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The tussle has further intensified as both parties are getting battle-ready ahead of the Assembly elections in the State towards the end of this year.

The BRS government in Telangana and the BJP-led government at the Centre took conflicting stands on celebrating September 17. The Centre continues to celebrate the day as ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day’ while Telangana is observing it as the ‘National Integration Day’. The respective parties have made an electoral issue out of a historical event that marked a landmark moment in the struggle against the Nizams.

On September 17 in 1948, the last Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Osman Ali Khan surrendered to the Indian forces following the military action named Operation Polo.