Shah, KCR spar on Hyderabad integration day

HYDERABAD:UNION Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that some political parties feel ashamed to call Sept.17 Hyderabad Liberation Day as they still have fear of ‘Razakars’ in their mind.

Razakars were supporters of Hyderabad State’s ruler Nizam and wanted the state to remain independent.

Meanwhile, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao stayed away from the event but hoisted the Tricolour at a programme organised by the state government, which is celebrating the occasion as National Unity Day.

Without naming anyone, Shah asked these parties to remove the fear from their minds, saying Razakars cannot take decisions in this country which became independent 75 years ago.

Shah made the remarks ater hoisting the national flag and reviewing a parade at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad to mark erstwhile Hyderabad state’s accession to the Indian Union.

The event was organised by the Union Ministry of Culture and was atended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Karnataka Transport Minister B. Sriramulu and Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G. Kishan Reddy.

Shah thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for deciding to organise official celebrations of September 17.

Telangana Chief Minister on Saturday alleged that communal forces who had no role in the integration of Hyderabad State into Indian Union are trying to divide Telangana society by spreading hatred. Without naming the BJP, he said the disruptive elements were trying to distort Telangana’s history by giving it a communal colour for their narrow political interests.

Thechiefministerwasaddressingthe‘telangana National Integration Day’ celebrations organised to mark accession of erstwhile Hyderabad State with the Indian Union.

He said certain divisive forces who had nothing to do with history and developments of the past are trying to pollute the bright history of Telangana and derail its development with pety politics.

KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, hoisted the tricolour and addressed the gathering at Public Gardens a couple of hours ater Union Home Minister Amit Shah unfurled the national flag and reviewed a parade in the city at an event organised by the Union Culture Ministry.

While the Union government organised official celebrations as ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day’, the Telangana government celebrated the occasion as ‘Telangana National Integration Day’.

Hyderabad State, which comprised Telangana and parts of the present day Maharashtra and Karnataka, became part of India on Sept.17, 1948, about 13 months ater the country gained independence.