Liberation vs integration: TRS, BJP spar on Sept 17 celebration in Telangana

The BJP in Telangana is in a strange predicament. The party is trying to dislodge the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in the state, where Telangana-identity politics still holds sway. It is hence desperate to find historical moorings to make itself relevant.

Over the past 75 years, the region never had a strong affiliation with any religion despite being a Nizam state in the past. Pertinently, in the historic Telangana armed struggle waged by the farmers against the Nizam – a Muslim and independent ruler under British suzerainty – none of the antecedents of the BJP had participated. 

Also read: ‘Target KCR’ is BJP’s by-poll strategy in Telangana, not polarisation

During the first phase of the Telangana movement (1969), too, the role of the Jan Sangh, the forerunner of the BJP, was not heard of.  In the recent T-movement that culminated in the carving out of Telangana in 2014, the BJP was a minor partner. 

The BJP thus has no history in the state to showcase, and this predicament is forcing it to hunt for an issue to soft-land the Hindu-Muslim polarisation agenda in the state.

The best bet, in the party’s view, is to portray the Telangana peasants’ movement against the Nizam as an anti-Muslim struggle and the merger of Hyderabad princely state with the Indian union as ‘liberation’. The idea is to portray Telangana as the land of Hindus who fought against the Nizam. And Sardar Patel, the first Home Minister of India, would be reintroduced in the state as the true liberator of Telangana.

By this narrative, the BJP can effectively target Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) for his party’s tie-up with the AIMIM, a descendant of the Muslim Razakars’ party Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM). It is in this backdrop that the BJP is demanding that September 17 be celebrated as ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day’ — the day the princely state merged with the Indian Union. The ‘liberation’ had occurred after ‘Operation Polo’  — the code name given to police action that took place in September 1948, when Indian Armed Forces invaded the State of Hyderabad, annexing it into the Indian Union. 

Why KCR changed tack

Ironically, this was KCR’s demand between 2001 and 2014, when the united Andhra Pradesh was under TDP and Congress governments, and the MIM was opposing the formation of Telangana state.

To inflame Telangana sentiment, KCR used to demand that September 17 be celebrated as Liberation Day officially. “It is the right of the people of Telangana to celebrate Liberation Day. When Karnataka and Maharashtra are celebrating Liberation Day why don’t you? Are you forcing us to forget our Independence Day?” KCR had asked then. The old video has gone viral now.

After Telangana’s formation, KCR had to change tack as the Muslim vote bank and AIMIM support helped him form the government. “Now we are part of the Indian Union. Demanding official celebration of September 17 as Telangana Liberation Day is cheap politics,” he was heard in another viral video. He urged political parties not to rake up historically settled issues.

BJP’s gameplan

The BJP usurped the demand and started interpreting the Telangana peasants’ armed struggle as a struggle against Nizam and Muslim Razakars, and not as a poor farmers’ struggle for land led the CPI. In an attempt to give a Hindu-Muslim spin to the bloody peasant’s struggle, the BJP has even started paying tributes to Communist Party martyrs such as Chakali Ilamma and Doddi Komaraiah. 

In 2017, Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Gundrampalli village in Nalgonda district, which had witnessed a bloody battle between the local farmers and Razakars, the private army of Nizam. The Razakars butchered dozens of farmers and many were buried in a local well. A red pylon with a sickle and hammer at the top was constructed in their memory in the village. 

Shah visited six families of martyrs on May 23, 2017. He praised them for being part of a glorious history. This did not, however, pay dividends for the party in the 2018 Assembly polls, and it landed just one seat.

This time round, with elections just a year away, the BJP wants to mine the Telangana armed struggle on a wider scale. The Union government has decided to celebrate September 17 as Telangana Liberation Day, and the Union Ministry of Tourism and Culture has announced year-long celebrations as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

Also read: Don’t fall prey to BJP antics, give it a loud message: KCR tells Munugode voters

Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy, who represents the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency, is the programme organiser and he has invited the CMs of Karnataka and Maharashtra, and KCR, for the meeting scheduled for September 17 in Hyderabad. Amit Shah is expected to be the chief guest.

KCR is not keen to attend the Kishan Reddy function and listen to speeches given by Shah, BJP and pro-BJP CMs. So, he  declared that September 17 will be celebrated as Telangana National Integration Day. It will be observed for three days from September 16. This is being described as a masterstroke by TRS leaders. KCR’s programmes are expected to put the BJP’s celebratory function in the shade.

By this move, KCR has replaced the term ‘liberation’ with the more conciliatory  ‘integration’.

‘Nizam was never the enemy’

Many political scientists reject the BJP’s portrayal of Telangana peasants’ struggle  (1946-51) as the fight against Muslim Nizam and his Razakars. Prof Karli Srinivasulu, a senior fellow at ICSSR, New Delhi told The Federal: “The armed struggle was not against them. It was a fight against the oppressive zamindari system with a goal to achieve land for tillers.”

Srinivasulu, who had taught political science at Osmania University, said political parties are assigning the date to key events as per their ideology and convenience.

“What happened on September 17, 1948, in Hyderabad? TRS is now calling this national integration of Telangana. BJP sees an opportunity in appropriating the Telangana peasants’ struggle, and views ‘liberation’ in the surrender of VII Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan before Sardar Patel. The Congress is on the same page with the BJP. 

“And opinions differ among the Left parties. While a section among the Left parties calls it liberation, others call it a merger. The Maoist groups, who believe in the continuation of the armed struggle, like to label this as betrayal day,” he said.

Also read: KCR attacks PM Modi, says India under ‘undeclared Emergency’

Moreover, the Nizam’s rule doesn’t qualify to be labelled as a Muslim regime, he added.

Hindus among ruling class

According to Srinivasulu, the majority of the zamindars under the Nizam were Hindus, holding 60 per cent of the land. The Nizam’s police chief Rao Bahaddur Venkatrama Reddy was a Hindu and he was rehabilitated after his retirement as estate chief. BS Venkatarao, an SC leader, was the Nizam’s education minister, he pointed out.

Further, he added, “The delegation which Nizam dispatched to the United Nations consisted of a Hindu called Sham Sunder Rao. Another important point is that many Razakars were headed by Hindus, while a number of Muslims stood by the farmers against the Nizam.  Nizam’s princely state was only a feudal autocratic state where political activities were not allowed. It was not a religiously intolerant state. The religious violence began only after the advent of Razakars, at the entry of the Indian army.”

Questioning the logic behind the demand for celebrating September 17 as Telangana Liberation Day, Puli Satyanarayana, advocate and activist from Warangal, said that the demand was “purely politically motivated”.

He said that Junagadh was also annexed to India by sending an army to the princely state. “It was also ruled by a Muslim Nawab. Has BJP ever celebrated the annexation as Junagadh Liberation Day? Kashmir annexation was another example of conflict. In 1948, all the 556 princely states including Hyderabad decided to merge with the Indian union either after persuasion or by the threat of force, or military action by Sardar Patel. The word liberation had never been used for these mergers. The motive behind using it in the case of Hyderabad is too transparent. KCR’s decision to celebrate it as Integration Day will certainly take the wind out of BJP’s sails,” he said.

Congress lauds BJP move

Meanwhile, Telangana Congress welcomed the Centre’s decision to celebrate September 17 as Telangana Liberation Day. “There is a need to take Telangana history, especially the heroic spirit of Telangana Liberation, to people across India. The Centre should conduct year-long programmes till September 17, 2023, in a befitting manner,” PCC president Revanth Reddy said in Munugode, reacting to the Center’s decision.

Telangana BJP urged KCR not to politicise the issue for petty political ends. “Culturally, September 17 is a turning point in the history of Telangana. It’s a matter of self-respect for the people of the state. KCR should honour the invitation and participate in the programme as his counterparts from Maharashtra and Karnataka are also expected to join Amit Shah in paying homage to all responsible for the liberation,” said BJP party chief spokesperson Krishna Sagar Rao.

It is to be seen whether ‘September 17, 1948’ will be remembered as ‘liberation day’ or ‘integration day’. And, whose narrative will win votes in the next Assembly elections.