Hyderabad – The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) under the leadership of President Asaduddin Owaisi is gearing up to celebrate September 17 as National Integration Day in Hyderabad. This important date marks the integration of the former Hyderabad State with the Indian Union.
To commemorate this occasion, AIMIM has planned a bike rally and a public meeting in the city. The bike rally will kick off from Dargah Yousufain in Nampally and culminate at the Hockey Grounds in Masab Tank, where the public meeting will take place. Prominent figures like Asaduddin Owaisi, MIM floor leader in the Telangana Assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi, and other party legislators are set to participate in the rally and address the public gathering.
It’s worth noting that last year, for the first time in its history, AIMIM celebrated September 17 as National Integration Day and organized various programs to mark the occasion. The ruling party in Telangana, which was then TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samithi), also observed this day as National Unity Day.
These celebrations extended over three days and were seen as an alternative to Hyderabad Liberation Day, which is celebrated by the BJP. The use of the term “liberation” had been a point of contention, leading AIMIM and TRS to organize events under the banner of national unity or national integration day.
Hyderabad State joined India in 1948 following a military operation known as ‘Operation Polo.’ During last year’s celebrations, Asaduddin Owaisi emphasized the importance of not reopening old wounds and referred to the Sunderlal Commission’s report, which revealed that around 40,000 people lost their lives during ‘Operation Polo,’ often referred to as Police Action.
