I am a son of soil, can’t attend Praja Palana Day: Kishan to CM

Hyderabad: Union Minister of Coal and Mines and Telangana State BJP chief G Kishan Reddy thanked Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for extending an invite for Praja Palana Dinotsavam on September 17 but said that he cannot attend it.

In a letter to the Chief Minister, Kishan Reddy said, "As the son of this very soil, you are well aware that the people of Hyderabad Samsthan (Hyderabad state) sustained a spirited struggle for years to liberate this region from the brutalities of the Nizam and his private army of Razakars. Many people laid down their lives in the process and thousands withstood unfathomable violence."

He said that the liberation of Telangana is a heart-wrenching story of courage, sacrifice and martyrdom. For these reasons, Kishan Reddy said, "We need to commemorate September 17th in a manner that befits the sacrifice of the martyrs." The purpose of such a commemoration ought to inspire the present generations with patriotic and nationalist fervour, and by informing them of the pristine history of the liberation.

However, the CM’s intent, Kishan Reddy said in his letter that he "seems to be to deflect the attention of the people," from the core aspects of the struggle, which is evident in the very name given to the day. "To describe the Liberation of Hyderabad, as just another transition of power from a monarchy to a democracy not only subverts the heroic struggle but also propagates further the politics of appeasement," he added.

The Union Minister in his letter to CM Revanth said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government over the last few years has been commemorating September 17th by giving it the recognition that it deserves in a form and manner that pays homage to the courage, sacrifice and valour of those who made the liberation possible.

Against this backdrop, Kishan Reddy said he 'cannot be a party to an insincere ritual which blatantly attempts to erase the truth from the people."

He asked the Chief Minister to acknowledge September 17th as a day of immense significance as "the first step in your journey to eventually understanding and accepting the truth of Liberation."