MIM President Refutes Claims of Bloodless Integration Made by Home Minister
Hyderabad : Asaduddin Owaisi, the President of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), alleged on Sunday that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had propagated a falsehood when he claimed that the integration of the erstwhile Hyderabad State into the Indian Union occurred without any bloodshed. Owaisi, the Member of Parliament representing Hyderabad, compared Shah’s statement to a similar assertion made by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in his speech on September 18, 1948, a day after Hyderabad’s integration into India.
Speaking at a public meeting shortly after Amit Shah’s address during Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations, Owaisi criticized the claims of a bloodless integration. The MIM leader referred to the report of the Pandit Sunderlal Commission, which investigated the situation in Hyderabad State after the ‘Police Action,’ the Indian military action against the Nizam’s Army.
“Pandit Sunderlal said in his report that more than 20,000 Muslims were massacred. The report contradicts the claims made by Nehru and today’s home minister,” Owaisi asserted. He further explained that Pandit Sunderlal and Qazi Abdul Gaffar had informed Moulana Abul Kalam Azad that a gruesome situation unfolded in the name of ‘Police Action.’ Upon receiving this information, Nehru had dispatched Sunderlal and Abdul Gaffar to Hyderabad State.
Owaisi claimed that Sunderlal’s report mentioned that while ‘razakars’ had committed atrocities against Hindus, 100 Muslims were killed for each ‘razakar.’ The MIM leader criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for attempting to paint Hyderabad’s integration as a communal issue, emphasizing that many Muslims had actively opposed the Nizam.
He stated, “RSS, Jan Sangh, and Sangh Parivar played no role in the fight for Hyderabad State’s integration with India.” Owaisi highlighted the historical context by referencing Moulvi Alauddin, an Imam of Hyderabad’s Mecca Masjid, who had spoken out against the British and the Nizam’s government during the first war of independence in 1857.
Expressing his preference for India’s democratic Constitution over the feudal system that existed during the Nizam’s rule, Owaisi criticized those who labeled him and his party as ‘razakars.’ He said, “Razakars have gone to Pakistan, but patriots have stayed back and are fighting for their rights.”
Owaisi also remarked, “Razakars have escaped, but the descendants of Godse and Savarkar are still here. We have to drive them out.” He acknowledged the Nizam’s contributions to modern Hyderabad, including the development of infrastructure such as the old airport, railway stations, Osmania University, hospitals, reservoirs, and various buildings. Owaisi also noted that the Nizam had donated properties to temples and highlighted the presence of Hindus in the Nizam’s government and as landlords in the region.
In closing, Owaisi urged people to study history to prevent the repetition of past mistakes and emphasized his commitment to the principles of India’s democratic Constitution.
