Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader, Asaduddin Owaisi, launched a scathing attack on Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, accusing him of dishonesty akin to India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. This rebuke followed Amit Shah’s assertion that the Hyderabad Police Action had been orchestrated by the then Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, without any loss of life.

Owaisi, addressing the ‘National Integration Day‘ event after leading a motorcycle rally, referenced the Sunderlal Report, which detailed the atrocities committed and lives lost during the integration of Hyderabad into the Indian Union. He stated, “Amit Shah’s speech today was rife with falsehoods, much like Nehru’s address on All India Radio back on September 18, 1948. The Sunderlal Report exposes both Amit Shah’s and Nehru’s claims as blatant untruths.”

Owaisi asserted that Hyderabad could have been integrated peacefully, without any bloodshed, but the decisions made by the leaders of that era resulted in the loss of numerous lives. He emphasized that this was not his personal assessment but was corroborated by the findings of Qazi Abdul Ghaffar and Pandit Sunderlal, who were dispatched to assess the situation in Hyderabad.

According to Owaisi, the Sunderlal Report documented that for every Hindu killed by the Razakars, a hundred Muslims were killed in retaliation. Tragic accounts included the discovery of women’s bodies in wells with their young children still clinging to them.

The Sunderlal Report estimated that over 20,000 Muslims lost their lives. Remarkably, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel chose to dismiss the report. Owaisi challenged the BJP, asking, “If the BJP claims it’s a lie, then why did Indira Gandhi, in the Lok Sabha, argue that releasing the report to the public would not be in the national interest?”

Owaisi also took a swipe at opposition parties, accusing them of likening him to the Razakars or Nizams and questioning AIMIM’s celebration of National Integration Day. He retorted, “Hyderabad was once a princely state under the Nizams. If you study history, you’ll find no mention of the RSS in its struggle for independence. The RSS wasn’t prominent, and the BJP is a more recent phenomenon.”

He further elaborated, “During the Nizam’s rule, I would have felt stifled because it was a feudal system where one couldn’t speak freely in front of rulers. Our country achieved freedom, and we gained the right to express ourselves openly.”

Owaisi highlighted the contributions of Muslims in the freedom struggle, citing the example of the Imam of the Makkah Masjid, who was among the first sent to Kala Paani for opposing the Nizams and British rule. He recalled the valiant actions of individuals like Maulvi Alauddin and Turrebaaz Khan, who fought for India’s independence.

Despite acknowledging the Nizam’s contributions to Hyderabad’s development, including the construction of infrastructure such as the old Begumpet Airport, Gandipet, Himayat Sagar, and several temples and institutions, Owaisi emphasized that freedom, justice, and equality were lacking under their rule.

Owaisi strongly criticized the Congress and BJP for equating AIMIM with the Razakars and MIM led by Qasim Razvi. He clarified that AIMIM was founded by Abdul Wahid Owaisi and was distinct from the Razakars who had migrated to Pakistan. He urged the expulsion of individuals with Godse and Savarkar’s ideologies from the country.

Addressing the ongoing atrocities against minorities, Owaisi condemned the demolitions of homes and shops without due process after violence erupted in Nuh, Haryana. He expressed sorrow over the killing of three Muslim men by a Railway Protection Force constable on the Jaipur Express in August, highlighting discrimination based on appearance.

Owaisi questioned the Rajasthan government’s silence and alleged discrimination against Junid and Nasir, whose charred bodies were discovered in a Bolero in Rajasthan’s Mewat after they were accused of cattle transport and abducted in February.

Hyderabad, a city in the throes of impending elections in the state of Telangana, is set to experience a whirlwind of activity this Sunday. The occasion? The 75th anniversary of the merger of the once-princely state into the Indian Union. Various political parties, including the BJP, the ruling BRS, and AIMIM, have all lined up events to commemorate this significant day in their own unique ways.

The Congress, buoyed by hopes of electoral success in the southern state, plans to kickstart its election campaign by unveiling a set of ‘guarantees.’ This strategy aims to replicate the party’s triumph in neighboring Karnataka earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the Congress is in the midst of its Working Committee (CWC) meeting, with an extended session scheduled for Sunday in the city.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is slated to attend the ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day‘ event, organized by the Central government to honor the state’s merger with the Indian Union on September 17, 1948. The event will take place at the Parade Grounds in Hyderabad, marking Shah’s second consecutive appearance at these celebrations, which were officially organized by the Centre for the first time last year.

In a separate commemoration, K Chandrasekhar Rao, founder of the ruling BRS party and Chief Minister of Telangana, will participate in the “National Integration Day” event, organized by the state government to observe the historic merger.

The AIMIM, led by Asaduddin Owaisi, plans to host a ‘Tiranga bike rally’ followed by a public meeting on Sunday to honor “National Integration Day.” In Telangana, September 17 holds diverse meanings for different political parties.

For the BJP, the day is celebrated as “Telangana Liberation Day,” symbolizing the region’s freedom from the rule of the Nizam. The party has been advocating for official government recognition of this celebration for over two decades and has criticized the incumbent BRS government for not organizing an official function despite expressing support during the Telangana statehood agitation.

The CPI has chosen to observe a week-long commemoration of the “Telangana armed struggle,” asserting that the Communist-led movement was instrumental in the merger of Nizam’s Hyderabad State with the Indian Union. The party will hold a public meeting at Tukkuguda on the outskirts of the city on Sunday evening, where it will unveil its ‘guarantees’ for the upcoming Assembly polls in Telangana, coming months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Notably, the party secured a resounding victory in the Karnataka elections earlier this year, promising various ‘guarantees,’ including monthly assistance to women, free bus travel for them, and unemployment benefits.

Hyderabad: Seerat-un-Nabi Academy and Markazi Anjuman E Qadria have made the collective decision to forego this year’s Milad un Nabi procession due to its coinciding date with the Ganesh Visarjan festival.

In an interview with sisat.com, Maulana Ali Quadri, the president of Markazi Anjuman E Qadria, elucidated that both organizations have opted not to hold the Milad un Nabi procession in Hyderabad this year. This choice was reached following extensive consultations with stakeholders, including the city’s Muslim youth.

The primary motivation behind this decision is the concern that concurrently conducting two processions, one for Ganesh Visarjan and another for Milad un Nabi, could potentially provide opportunities for troublemakers to incite disturbances, he added.

Notably, SUFI (Sunni United Forum of India) had previously announced the cancellation of its Milad un Nabi procession in Hyderabad. This marks a departure from the tradition observed for 16 years, where Muslims in the city would annually organize a Milad un Nabi procession.

As an alternative approach, the organizers have decided to celebrate Milad un Nabi by congregating at mosques and extending assistance to the less fortunate.

Recently, Asaduddin Owaisi, President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Member of Parliament for Hyderabad, issued an appeal to the public, urging them to uphold peace in the state. He emphasized, “There are certain troublemakers within society who eagerly await opportunities to disrupt the state’s tranquility. Nevertheless, I am confident that the people of Telangana will not permit anyone to disrupt the peaceful environment of the state.”