The BJP in Telangana is stepping up its campaign around September 17, seeking to turn Telangana Liberation Day into a larger political issue while simultaneously positioning itself as the principal Opposition voice on matters ranging from fee reimbursement to farmers’ insurance. With the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in disarray and party chief K Chandrashekar Rao largely staying away from public and party affairs, the BJP, which has eight MLAs, is increasingly attempting to occupy the political space traditionally held by the main Opposition party. Led by State BJP president N ramchander rao, the party is now demanding that the history of the Telangana liberation struggle be included in school textbooks, alongside the account of Operation Polo – the 1948 army action that led to integration of erstwhile Hyderabad state into India. The BJP has consistently described it as Telangana Liberation Day and linked it to Operation Polo, while successive state governments have faced political sensitivities over the participation of the Left and the opposition of the AIMIM to the BJP’s formulation of the events. The BJP is planning a series of programmes to mark September 17, including a commemorative seminar, “Telangana Liberation and the Role of Nationalists”; a special parade by paramilitary forces; cultural performances and artists’ shows; the release of the book September 17 – Telangana Vimochana Dinamu, authored by Prof G Laxman; and specially choreographed programmes at the Secunderabad Parade Grounds. The BJP is also turning up the heat over the delay in fee reimbursement to beneficiary students and the implementation of an insurance scheme for farmers. “The recent Assembly session was disrupted by the Congress and BRS to prevent discussions on key public issues which the BJP wanted to raise,” Rao said. In recent days, BJP Leaders drove tractors to the Assembly complex to highlight the farmers’ insurance issue and faced police lathi charges and arrest during protests over fee reimbursement. After cases were filed against several BRS MLAs for allegedly abusing Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar, the BJP sees an opportunity to expand its political footprint. “The fee reimbursement matter is of deep concern because colleges are withholding original certificates from students over unpaid dues by the government. When we organised a 48-hour hunger strike and dharna, we were lathi-charged and arrested,” Rao said. Rao said BJP workers visited colleges and collected signatures from around eight lakh students on their grievances related to fee reimbursement. However, Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said the reimbursement was being done in phases and would be completed soon. “In instalments of Rs 200 crore each, we are reimbursing. Payments have been withheld to some colleges which are under scrutiny for irregularities,” he said. The September 17 campaign has also brought senior BJP leaders together – seen to be a divided camp – in a more coordinated manner. Ahead of the day, Rao, Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, and BJP Parliamentary Board member and Rajya Sabha MP K Laxman demanded that the Congress government teach future generations about the Telangana freedom struggle and the values associated with Vande Mataram by comprehensively including the history of the September 17 struggle in school textbooks. “Liberation Day is sacred for all people of Telangana and the BJP has been fighting for decades for the government to celebrate this day officially,” Rao said. He said that on September 13, 1948, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel initiated Operation Polo against forces that, according to the BJP, stood in the way of the integration of Hyderabad state with India. Many soldiers were killed in the operation and Hyderabad state formally acceded to the Indian Union on September 17. Rao alleged that the BRS government had promised an official celebration but backed out under pressure from the AIMIM. He also criticised the Congress government for what he described as a token observance at Gandhi Bhavan instead of a full-scale official government event. “Full justice would be done to this heroic history only when the BJP comes to power in the state,” Laxman said.
