Centre to organise Telangana Liberation Day celebrations in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Sep 3 (IANS) The Union government has decided to officially celebrate Telangana Liberation Day on September 17 with a grand event here.

The Ministry of Culture will organise a programme at Parade Grounds. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to address a parade on the day to mark Hyderabad State's accession to India in 1948.

Union Culture and Tourism Minister G. Kishan Reddy said on behalf of the Central government, he would invite the chief minister of Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra to the programme.

Telangana and some districts of present day Karnataka and Maharashtra were part of erstwhile Hyderabad State.

Kishan Reddy, who is also a member of Lok Sabha from Secunderabad, said the celebrations will be organised over the next one year as part of 75 years of India's Independence. He appealed to the chief ministers of all the three states to attend the September 17 event and also ensure conduct of the year-long celebrations.

The central minister said the details of the programme will be announced after consultations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Central leaders.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is likely to participate in the event along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde or Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. However, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is likely to stay away.

BJP has long been demanding the Telangana government to officially celebrate September 17 every year as Telangana Liberation Day. However, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), like other non-BJP parties, celebrates September 17 as Telangana Merger Day.

TRS is not in favour of official celebrations in view of the objections from All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and others, who argue that there is no need for separate celebrations in Telangana as there is only one independence day for the entire country.

BJP leaders have been alleging that TRS is not officially celebrating the day due to pressure from AIMIM.

Meanwhile, Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay said on Saturday that before coming to power, Chief Minister KCR promised to officially organize Telangana Liberation Day, but due to fear of AIMIM he ashamelessly backtracked, insulting martyrs'. He promised that if voted to power in Telangana, the BJP will officially organise the day every year.

He welcomed Kishan Reddy's move to organise the celebrations officially.

Sanjay termed as ashameful' the reported plans of CM KCR to organise Telangana Vileena Vajrotsavam or golden jubilee of Telangana's merger.