Hyderabad: The BJP Telangana unit celebrated Telangana Liberation Day with grandeur and patriotic spirit at its state headquarters on Wednesday. The event marked the historic integration of the Hyderabad princely state into the Indian Union on September 17, 1948, following Operation Polo led by then Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

BJP State President N. Ramchander Rao unfurled the national flag and paid tribute to the countless freedom fighters who resisted the Nizam’s autocratic rule and the atrocities committed by the Razakars.

In his address, he emphasized that while India gained independence on August 15, 1947, Hyderabad remained under feudal control until September 17, 1948. He called the day a symbol of Telangana’s true liberation and urged the state government to officially recognize it, as done in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

The event was attended by several senior leaders, including Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, State Organization Minister Chandra Shekhar, General Secretaries Gautam Rao, Veerender Goud, and Vemula Ashok, Southern State In-Charge Sudhakar Reddy, MLC Anji Reddy, and presidents of various party wings.

Ramchander Rao recounted the brutalities inflicted by the Razakars, especially in regions like Byronpally, Parakala, Gundrampally, and Nirmal, where women were assaulted and civilians terrorized. He stressed that these sacrifices must never be forgotten and that Telangana’s fight against tyranny should be remembered as a defining chapter in India’s democratic journey.

He criticized previous state governments for politicizing September 17 and failing to honor it officially. He credited the BJP-led Central Government for institutionalizing the celebrations, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah initiating official observances and the Indian Armed Forces participating in the commemorations for the past three years.