Telangana BJP Chief Calls for Mass Flag Hoisting on Sept 17 Liberation Day

Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao has appealed to residents, especially the youth, to hoist the national flag at every village and educational institution on September 17. He urged citizens to sing the full versions of Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana and pay tribute to those who died in the region's liberation struggle.

Speaking at a gathering at the martyrs' memorial in Parkal, Rao asserted that if the BJP forms the next government in the state, the history of the September 17 movement would be included in school textbooks. He also reiterated a demand for the state government to officially designate the date as 'Telangana Liberation Day'.

Rao accused the BRS, Congress, and AIMIM of attempting to erase the history of the liberation movement. He maintained that the legacy of the struggle would persist as long as the BJP continues its preservation efforts.

Referring to historical events in Parkal, Rao described the massacre by Razakars eight decades ago as the 'Jallianwala Bagh of South India'. He stated that 19 people were killed at Chapalabanda and three at nearby Lakshmipur, with over 200 injured. He alleged that the Razakars terrorised villages, targeting farmers and women, during the Nizam's bid to keep Hyderabad independent from the Indian Union.

The erstwhile Hyderabad State was integrated into the Indian Union on September 17, 1948, following Operation Polo, which was led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Rao noted that the Parkal memorial was built under the leadership of former Union Minister Ch. Vidyasagar Rao and the 'Telangana Vimochana Samithi'.

Rao questioned why the Congress government in Telangana does not officially observe the day, while governments in Karnataka and Maharashtra—also part of the former Hyderabad State—do. He highlighted that the Centre has held official celebrations, including a parade at Secunderabad Parade Grounds, in recent years.