The Bharatiya Janata Party will be organising a massive public meeting to be presided over by national president and Home Minister Amit Shah on Sept.17 to once again highlight the need for the state government to celebrate the day as ‘Telangana Liberation Day’, said TS president K. Laxman on Wednesday.
Addressing the round table meeting organised by the ‘Telangana Vimochana Samithi’ at the Press Club, the BJP leader demanded the date will be celebrated officially as was forcefully argued by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao during the separate State agitation when the Congress government was in power. “But after coming to power he had changed tack because of friendship with Majlis,” he charged.
Telangana Liberation Day celebrations is a question of ‘self-respect’ to the Telangana people as scores of them had sacrificed their lives fighting against the Nizam’s tyrannical rule and the Razakars, he maintained and said only when Sardar Patel had ordered the ‘Police Action’ that Hyderabad and Telangana got ‘real independence’ by joining the Indian union.
“We have taken up protest programmes, took out rallies, highlighted the atrocities and sacrifices made at different places across TS, requested and made representations to TRS government to celebrate the day officially but it has not budged. We will explain the issue to Prime Minister Modi and other central leaders. We will certainly celebrate the liberation day if our party comes to power here and hoist the flag at the Golconda Fort,” said Mr. Laxman.
He said it was not necessary to give a communal colour to the celebrations as people like journalist Shoebullah had lost their lives for opposing the Nizam’s rule and pointed out that the party has been celebrating the liberation day since 1998.
Mr. Dattatreya said TS people will not “forgive” KCR for ignoring the overwhelming demand to celebrate the liberation day. Matryrs memorials will be built at all the places where the killings had taken place, he said and families of the martyrs will be treated with respect. Telangana Vimochana Committee chairman S. Srivardhan Reddy, convernor Ch. Swamy Goud, Osmania University Teachers Association president B. Satyanaryana, Bar Council member Hanmanth Reddy and others also spoke.
