Over the next three days, Telangana, especially Hyderabad, will witness several programmes organised by the Union government and the Telangana unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as part of the year-long celebrations for ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day’. On Thursday, September 15, BJP women leaders and workers participated in a bike rally from the Bhagyalaxmi temple at the historic Charminar.
Organised by the Mahila Morcha of the BJP, the bike rally was flagged off by Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G Kishan Reddy. Holding the national flag and raising slogans, the participants rode towards the Telangana Assembly, where tributes were offered to India’s first Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The rally passed through the busy Gulzar Houz, Patthergatti, Madina Circle, Nayapul, Afzalgunj, Siddi Amber Bazar, Moazzam Jahi Market and Nampally to reach Sardar Patel’s statue in front of the Assembly building. Kishan Reddy and other BJP leaders garlanded the leader’s statue and paid homage to him.
The Union Culture Ministry is organising Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations on a grand scale to mark 75 years of the accession of the erstwhile Hyderabad State with the Indian Union. It was on September 17, 1948 that Hyderabad state was merged with the Indian Union following India’s military action titled ‘Operation Polo’.
The main event will be held on September 17 at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hoist the national flag and attend a parade. The Chief Ministers of Telangana, Maharashtra and Karnataka have been invited by the Union Ministry of Culture. Personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Rapid Action Force (RAF) and other central armed police forces have been rehearsing for the parade.
The year-long celebrations kicked off on Wednesday with Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan inaugurating a photo and art exhibition, showcasing archival images associated with Hyderabad State and its unification with India.
Meanwhile, the government of Telangana has announced that the occasion will be celebrated as ‘National Integration Day’. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will hoist the national flag and address the people of the state. It remains to be seen which programme the Telangana Governor will choose to attend.
The state government also plans rallies by students, youth and women on September 16. A big procession is planned in Hyderabad the next day culminating in a public meeting at NTR Stadium, during which the Chief Minister and other leaders will address the gathering.
(With IANS inputs)