BJP leaders gear up for Telangana Liberation Day meet

Hyderabad: On the eve of the public meeting being held on the town's outskirts to mark the Telangana Liberation Day to be attended by Union Ministers Prahlad Joshi and G Kishan Reddy, Vimochana Committee chairman Srivardhan Reddy and State general secretary Premender Reddy inspected the arrangements.

National BJP general secretary Muralidhar Rao and Telangana party unit president Dr K Laxman are also to be present Srivardhan Reddy, Premender Reddy, district unit president Narender Reddy and Gadila Srikanth Goud asserted later that Telangana got real independence on September 17, 1948, when the Nizam surrendered and merged Hyderabad in the Union, following the efforts made by the then Home Minister Sardar Patel.

They recalled the alleged killing of 96 villagers of Bairanpally and their dumping in a well around which women were forced to play 'bathukamma' as also slaying of 11 in Appampalli of Palamuru district.

The leaders pointed out that in view of such historic happenings, the BJP was demanding official celebration of Telangana Liberation Day by the State government. They accused Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao of forgetting his assurance of holding official function given during separate State agitation after a face-off with the then CM K Rosaiah.

They contended that the TRS' friendship with the MIM while pursuing vote bank politics and praising the Nizam's rule amounted to insulting the Telangana martyrs.