On the occasion of September 17, which marks the day of Hyderabad’s state annexation to India, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) competitively planned their celebrations in Hyderabad on Saturday. The BJP planned their ‘Liberation Day’ Celebrations at Parade Grounds in Hyderabad, which had major BJP leaders in attendance, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. TRS, on the other hand, has planned ‘Telangana National Integration Day’ celebrations at Public Gardens in the city.
Before the BJP kickstarted its event, TRS party supporters began a ‘banner attack’ on the BJP. Posters attacking the BJP were strategically put near the Parade Grounds in Secunderabad, which is the venue of the BJP’s ‘Liberation Day’ celebrations.
One TRS poster questioning Union Home Minister Amit Shah reads, “Modi Sarkar gives 300cr for 60 years of Goa Celebration Day. 0 for Telangana National Integration Day. Amit Shah ji on September 17, can you announce for Telangana too?”
Meanwhile another poster, mocking Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai who is expected to attend the event, was also put up in the city. It said, “Welcome 40% CM”. However, on Saturday morning, CM Bommai was not present at the event.
On billboards at bus stops, cartoons were put up, mocking Amit Shah. In a picture, Amit Shah is pictured holding a fish named ‘Telangana’, where Amit Shah is shown saying, “You are safe now, I am your saviour”. This cartoon was presented along with the hashtag: #ByeByeModi.
Meanwhile, MLC Kavitha, also the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, took on BJP on Saturday, accusing the party of using their ‘Election Celebration Formula’ and said that the BJP was trying to hijack the Hyderabad Integration Day celebrations in the state.
Kavitha, while wishing people on the occasion, has tweeted, “My Best wishes to all the people of Telangana on the occasion of the 75th Telangana Jateeya Samaikyata Dinotsavam. Thank you Hon’ble CM KCR for celebrating, upholding, and fighting for the spirit of Telangana always. Going by their usual and repetitive script and formula of “Election-Celebration’, the BJP is trying to hijack ‘Hyderabad Integration Day’ celebrations in the state. The script where everything is promised and when the people of the state reject them, they deprive them.”
She further requested Amit Shah to talk about BJP and its leaders’ contribution to the freedom struggle, the ‘Hyderabad Integration’ movement, and the Telangana statehood movement.
She further added, “As the daughter of Telangana, I look forward to these answers. The contribution of BJP towards efforts to give people their rights for our country stands to be nothing. Harmony, togetherness and the power of people — this is the foundation of Telangana and CM KCR and it takes a lot of courage to be like him.”