Advani lobbies for Hyderabad Liberation Day celebration

New Delhi, Sep 16 (UNI) Setting eyes on expanding BJP's prospects in Andhra Pradesh, particularly in the Telangana region, NDA's Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani today called for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Hyderabad Liberation Day tomorrow.

In a statement, Mr Advani alleged that the Centre and the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh were denying this opportunity to the people of erstwhile Hyderabad state to observe September 17, when they attained freedom from "Nizam's rule" in 1948, 13 months and two days after India got independence on August 15, 1947, as Liberation Day.

Two other states -- Karnataka and Maharashtra -- which got two parts of the erstwhile Nizam Kingdom, were officially celebrating this day every year as Hyderabad State Liberation Day in areas ceded to them, he said.

But, unfortunately, the people of the Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh were deprived of official celebration of their freedom, he said, urging all "patriotic forces" in Andhra Pradesh and the rest of the country to support this "democratic and nationalist aspirations of more than 3.5 crore people of Telengana.

The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha alleged that the Congress government in the state had rejected this demand solely on vote-bank considerations.

The BJP, in a resolution, adopted at its National Executive meeting in Bangalore last week demanded a separate state for Telengana.

Reiterating the party's stand, Mr Advani said, ''The demand for official recognition to September 17 is closely linked to the demand for a sepaate Telangana, which the BJP fully supports.'' UNI KAS SKB RAI1959