Union Minister and BJP president in Telangana Kishan Reddy on Friday slammed the Congress and the ruling BRS for not officially celebrating September 17, the day the erstwhile Hyderabad state under Nizam rule merged with the Indian Union in 1948, during their tenure in office.

He was speaking at Parkal in Hanumakonda district where a memorial for those who were massacred by 'Razakars' (armed supporters of Nizam) in 1947 during the freedom struggle is situated.

He alleged that the Congress did not celebrate the 'liberation day' due to the "fear of Muslims and Majlis" (AIMIM) when it was in power in undivided Andhra Pradesh for long.

Referring to the Congress organising a public meeting on September 17 in Hyderabad and the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Saturday, he asked whether Congress had the right to hold its meeting on September 17 in Telangana.

He claimed that the "Gandhi-Nehru family" should accept its mistake at the Bhagya Lakshmi temple near Charminar for not celebrating the day if the Congress wished to organise a meeting.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had sought official celebration of the day during the Telangana agitation but did not do it after coming to power, Reddy said.

Earlier, Kishan Reddy led a bike rally from Secunderabad here to Parkal to commemorate 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' on September 17.

Former Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, who is BJP's in-charge for elections in Telangana, flagged off the rally.

"Joined the bike rally from parade ground in Secunderabad to Parkal, being organised as part of #AmritMahotsav to commemorate #HyderabadLiberationDay and to revive & showcase the struggles & lives of our brave heroes who fought against the tyrannical Nizam rule," Kishan Reddy, who is also Union Minister, said on X (formerly Twitter).

The Centre would organise an official celebration of the 'liberation day' on September 17 in Hyderabad which would be attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

September 17 is interpreted differently by different parties in Telangana. The BRS government and the AIMIM have decided to celebrate the day as 'national integration day'.

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