The issue of September 17 has been a contentious part in the history of Telangana. The general public, activists and politicians have several narratives, opinions, and perspectives to prove their point. Some political parties with vested interests have even tried to hijack the issue. However, Telangana CM KCR became successful in putting an end to the politicking surrounding the events of September 17 by observing the day as ‘Telangana National Integration Day’.
Politicizing the September 17 issue and adding a communal flavour to it was by and large started by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP fiercely took up the issue in 1998 when the then union minister and party senior leader LK Advani participated in an event marking 50 years of ‘Hyderabad Liberation’.
Later, the party tried to appropriate the accession of the Hyderabad state into the Indian union by celebrating the role of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who headed the Police Action against the Nizams in 1948. BJP put up life-size hoardings of the seventh Nizam bowing to Patel in a futile bid to gain political mileage.
In reality, neither the RSS nor the BJP had any role in the Telangana Armed Struggle, which was one of the main reasons for the accession of Hyderabad. Interestingly, Patel was against the RSS, and in fact, banned the organisation when he was the union Home Minister. Nevertheless, the BJP continued its attempts to blatantly communalise the issue by projecting Patel as an icon.
One shouldn’t forget the fact that Hindu landlords were an integral part of the oppression, and Razakars, the paramilitary force of the Nizam, not only targeted Hindus but also targeted progressive Muslims. Hence communalising the issue is merely political and ill-motivated.
Going back to history, Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru appointed a committee headed by Sunder Lal to narrate the violence in the aftermath of the Police Action. The committee reported a large-scale massacre of Muslims purportedly done by the army. Keeping in view the sensitivities around the events associated with the merger of Hyderabad into the Indian union, CM KCR maintained caution in celebrating the event as ‘liberation’ day.
Nonetheless, the BJP increased its pitch after the state formation to declare September 17 as Telangana Liberation Day only to reap political benefits. But, the statesman in CM KCR has different plans, he deftly dealt with the issue and preferred something along the lines of ‘integration’. By onboarding Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, the CM gained wider acceptance for celebrating September 17 as ‘Integration Day’ rather than ‘Liberation Day’.
From 2022, the Telangana government is observing September 17 as ‘Telangana National Integration Day’ by celebrating the day on a grand note. CM KCR’s astute approach has taken the wind out of the BJP’s communal campaign and put an end to politicking.