The Centre has issued a notification to celebrate 17th September every year as Hyderabad Liberation Day.
The Union Home Ministry issued the notification yesterday that the Central government would celebrate the occasion of the joining of the State of Hyderabad with the Union of India. Union Home Minister Amit Shah called it a historic day but the Opposition parties in Telangana have played it down, calling it a gimmick before elections.
The notification issued by the GOI read, “Whereas Hyderabad did not get independence for 13 months of the Independence of India on 15 August 1947 and was under Nizam’s Rule. The region was liberated from Nizam’s Rule on 17th September 1948 after police action, namely ‘Operation Polo’. Whereas there has been a demand from the people of the region that 17 September may be celebrated as Hyderabad Liberation Day. Now, to remember martyrs who liberated Hyderabad and to infuse the flame of patriotism in the minds of the youth, the Government of India has decided to celebrate the 17th day of September every year as Hyderabad Liberation Day.”
Home Minister Amit Shah took to the social media platform ‘X’ to hail the move. “The decision is a befitting tribute to the freedom fighters and martyrs who made supreme sacrifices to remain a part of Bharat by liberating the Hyderabad region from the atrocious Nizam rule. I welcome Modiji’s landmark decision which will ignite the flame of patriotism among the youth and immortalize our icons of the freedom movement,” he said.
The Centre under the NDA celebrated the Hyderabad Liberation Day in 2022 for the first time with Shah attending the official function at the Parade Ground in Secunderabad. The programme was organised by the Union Ministry of Culture in 2022 and 2023. The BRS which ruled the state, along with its ally AIMIM had marked the occasion as Integration Day.
Congress leader G Niranjan wondered why a fresh notification was issued ahead of elections even though Amit Shah had participated in the function celebrating Hyderabad Liberation Day in 2023.