Amit Shah is the chief guest at an event to commemorate 'Hyderabad Liberation Day'.
Crediting Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for 'liberating' Hyderabad, Union Home Minister Amit Shah today took a swipe at those who had "turned back" on celebrating the day due to vote bank politics and the "fear" of Razakars -- a private militia who defended the erstwhile Nizam rule in Hyderabad.
"After so many years, there was a desire in this land that the Hyderabad Liberation Day should be celebrated with the government's participation. But unfortunately, 75 years have passed and those who ruled this place could not dare celebrate Hyderabad Liberation Day due to vote bank politics," Mr Shah said.
He greeted the people of Telangana, Hyderabad-Karnataka, and Marathwada on 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' and praised them for their courageous fight against the "atrocities" of the 'Razakars' to merge the region into the Union of India.
"They celebrate, but not as Hyderabad Liberation day, they still have fear. I want to tell them, remove fear from your heart and Razakars cannot take decisions for this country as it got independence 75 years ago," the Home Minister said in an apparent dig at Telangana Chief Minister KCR's parallel event.
"I want to congratulate Modi because he understood the aspirations of the people of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana and decided to celebrate Hyderabad Liberation day," he said.
The Centre and TRS-ruled Telangana state government are both celebrating the day at different events in the state. While the BJP-led Centre is calling it a liberation day from a 'cruel' Nizam rule, the KCR government is marking it as 'Telangana National Integration Day' in a 3-day-long celebration.
Mr Shah expressed gratitude to PM Modi for marking the historic day as liberation day. "I would like to thank PM Narendra Modi, who dedicated this day as 'Hyderabad Mukti Din'. People here now are celebrating it every year, but many still live in fear - I urge all to come out and celebrate in large numbers," he said in Secunderabad, while addressing a crowd gathered to mark the day of the erstwhile Hyderabad state's accession to the Indian Union. "I would like to remember and thank all those who fought in the freedom movement. All the andolans (agitations) that took place during the struggle," he added.
The Centre's event was attended by several dignitaries, including Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
On September 17, 1948, the then Hyderabad state, which was under the rule of the Nizam, was annexed into the Union of India following a military action, initiated by the then Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Till Hyderabad was not liberated, Mahatma Gandhi's Swatantra Bharat (Independent India) dream and the overall Akhand Bharat dream would not have been possible, the Home Minister Amit Shah said in his speech.
The TRS government has accused the BJP of playing divisive politics, insisting on celebrating the day as one when the Telangana people's dream of integrating with India was realised.
"Greetings to the people of Telangana, Hyderabad-Karnataka, and Marathwada region on 'Hyderabad Liberation Day'. I bow to the martyrs and the brave warriors who fought valiantly against the atrocities of Razakars under the cruel Nizam rule to merge Hyderabad into the Union of India," Mr Shah tweeted earlier this morning.
When India gained independence, the Razakars called for the Hyderabad state to either join Pakistan, or to become a Muslim dominion while resisting its merger with the Union of India.