The Modi government on Tuesday issued a gazette notification to celebrate September 17 as ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day’. In its notification, the Home Ministry said, “In order to remember martyrs who liberated Hyderabad and to infuse the flame of patriotism in the minds of the youth, the Government of India has decided to celebrate 17th day of September every year as 'Hyderabad Liberation Day'."
The decision comes years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared August 14 as the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. Those inclined to support the Hindutva ideology have welcomed the latest move. "The two days may appear symbolic but they are vital tools to shift the default position of the state/society. Islamist aggression and atrocities have been meticulously whitewashed and hidden from public view by the state hitherto, which changes with such days being observed," wrote Rahul Roushan, founder of the right-wing portal OpIndia.
Meanwhile, Telangana state BJP leader Bandi Sanjay Kumar welcomed the gazette. "From the falsification of history by past rulers, to now officially celebrating the reality in the BJP era - Thank you Shri Narendra Modi ji and Shri Amit Shah ji for making 17th September as the Hyderabad Liberation Day. Grateful that you support and hear every demand made from Telangana."
For many years, the Congress had opposed the idea of observing the liberation day. However, Hindutva-vadis have celebrated the day voluntarily without state backing for decades.
