Hyderabad Liberation Day was marked with separate programmes by the Central government and the Telangana BJP in Hyderabad and Secunderabad on Thursday, with both events focusing on the region’s integration into the Indian Union in 1948.
Official Event at Secunderabad Parade Grounds
The main official programme was held at the Parade Grounds in Secunderabad under the Union Ministry of Culture. Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan attended the event as the chief guest. Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar were among those present. The programme began at 8 am and included a formal parade featuring 10 contingents of the Central Armed Police Forces, including the CRPF and CISF.
A thematic cultural presentation, “Hyderabad Vimochanam,” showcased the region’s struggle against the Nizam’s rule and the Razakar militia. A multimedia exhibition organised with the support of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting also highlighted key milestones linked to the integration of Hyderabad State with the Indian Union. Student winners of a Hyderabad Liberation Day quiz conducted earlier at the Salar Jung Museum were also felicitated during the programme.
Telangana BJP Events State-wide
Meanwhile, the Telangana BJP organised its own programmes at the party headquarters in Nampally and at various locations across the state. State BJP president N. Ramchander Rao and Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy hoisted the national flag at the party office. The BJP also released “September 17 – Telangana Vimochana Dinamu,” a book authored by Osmania University professor G. Laxman.
The BJP also launched a month-long Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. The programme includes blood donation camps and other social-service activities. Senior BJP leaders, including former Governor Bandaru Dattatreya, paid floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and recalled his role in the integration of Hyderabad.
BJP Pushes for Official State Observance
The celebrations also carried a clear political message. Ahead of September 17, the BJP’s legislative wing submitted an adjournment motion notice in the Telangana Assembly, demanding that the state government officially observe the day as Telangana Liberation Day. BJP leaders have accused successive state governments, including the Congress and the earlier BRS administration, of not giving the day the recognition they believe it deserves. They have also alleged that political considerations involving AIMIM influenced the governments’ approach to the issue. The BJP has said that if it comes to power in Telangana, September 17 will be officially observed by the state government and marked as a state holiday function. The separate programmes once again put the political debate over how Telangana should officially commemorate September 17 in the spotlight, with the BJP seeking formal state-level recognition of the day.
