BJP's Laxman Accuses Congress of Diluting Telangana Liberation Day
BJP MP K. Laxman alleged the Congress government is downplaying Telangana Liberation Day for vote-bank politics and demanded official observance and curriculum inclusion.
BJP Rajya Sabha member K. Laxman on Friday accused the Congress government in Telangana and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of diminishing the significance of Telangana Liberation Day, alleging that the occasion is being sidelined under the banner of "Praja Palana" as part of minority appeasement politics.
Speaking at a press conference at the BJP State office, Mr. Laxman said younger generations, including Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha, were familiar only with Independence Day on August 15 and remained unaware of the events that led to the erstwhile Hyderabad State's merger with the Indian Union on September 17, 1948.
Recounting the chain of developments that culminated in the State's integration with India, he pressed for the history of the Telangana liberation struggle and the writings of poet Dasarathi Krishnamacharya to be made a mandatory part of the school curriculum.
The BJP leader asked why September 17 is officially observed as Liberation Day in parts of present-day Maharashtra and Karnataka that were once under the Hyderabad State, while Telangana has not adopted a similar official observance. He linked the difference to the influence of the AIMIM and accused both the Congress and the BRS of avoiding a decision on the matter because of vote-bank considerations.
Mr. Laxman said the BJP has been campaigning for official recognition of Telangana Liberation Day for over three decades, recalling that party activists had faced arrests and police action during earlier agitations. Senior leaders, including Ch. Vidyasagar Rao and L.K. Advani, had mobilised public support through various programmes, he added.
He noted that the Centre has been officially commemorating the occasion at the Parade Grounds since 2022 and that this year's celebrations would also be held on a large scale. Should the BJP come to power in the State, it would include this chapter of Telangana's history in the curriculum and officially celebrate the event, he said.
Earlier, BJP Telangana president N. Ramchander Rao announced a month-long "Seva Sankalp Abhiyan" running from September 17 to October 17 to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 25 years in public office, covering his tenures as Chief Minister and Prime Minister. The campaign will feature blood donation camps, Swachh Bharat activities, essay competitions and outreach programmes for beneficiaries of Central government schemes.