By Syed Qamar Hasan
The proverbial idle Baniya( grocer) comes to mind as the BJP holds rallies today to mark the” Hyderabad Liberation Day”.
A very popular saying in Urdu describes the ennui of a “Baniya” with no work worthy off. “Baitah Baniya kiya Karey es Kothri ke Dhan oos Kothri” simple translation in English would read, WHAT WOULD AN IDLE GROCER DO. EXCEPT SHIFTING GRAINS FROM ONE ROOM TO ANOTHER.
BJP ignoring important issues
That’s what the BJP and is leadership is up to holding digginging and raking dead issues, opening up wounds that have dried since decades, while more pressing issues like country’s economy going off the mark, with lakhs and lakhs of people getting jobless are being ignored. And the state suffering from onslaught of life threatening Dengu fever.
More importantly at a time when the country is facing an existential threat to its democratic fabric and composite culture with growing number of street violence, lynching of minorities ,the ruling party is being instrumental in furthering division, fear and apprehension in a state that has the distinction of being the most peaceful since the last two decades.
Historical facts
To call Mir Osman Ali Khan, the 7th Nizam of the erstwhile state of Hyderabad a tyrant is purely manipulative and distortive of historical evidence.
The Nizams’ prime minister was a Hindu, his Deputy Prime minister at the time of Indian army invasion was Hindu, the Commissioner of Police was a Hindu, so were many other important positions held by Hindus.
And as the Chief Minister of Telangana Chandrashekhar Rao asserts,’ if the Nizam was a tyrant, why would he made the Rajparmuk by the then Home Minister Sardar Patel.”
To reduce the harsh Saffaronisation of the event, its being diluted with a tinge of green by The BJP State Chief, K Laxman who in statement published in Hindu of August 29th said, People like Shoebullah Khan journalist, (editor of a petty Urdu tabloid ‘Imroz’) was shot dead for opposing the Nizam.
While the fact is that he was shot dead by unknown persons remaining a mystery to date.
Arvind Acharya, a blue blooded Hyderabadi richly loaded with several interesting facts about Osman Ali Pasha and his immediate family has another twist to the murder of Shoebullah Khan. According to Arvind, he was privy to a diary maintained by Mr Hasanuddin Ahmed( died very recently), a polyglot and high ranking official of the Nizams government wherein it was mentioned that Shoebullah was murdered for being involved in an affair with the daughter of a very, senior congress politician .
The BJP before embarking on this very potentially disruptive agenda that could ignite a series of reactions and counter-reactions and should have done some home work to be aware of the contents of the chilling report by Pandit Sunderlal of the gruesome atrocities, rapes, looting and mass murders that were committed upon the Muslims in outlying districts and villages of Hyderabad city in the wake of the Indian army invasion were equally damning, if not more than what it holds the Razakars for. Of course the Razakars were bunch of deviants.
The report compiled at the behest of Pandit Nehru was for reasons known best to Nehru never saw the light of the day. It is alleged that Sardar Patel was not in favour of it being made public for its recordings of the bloody massacre of Muslims.
Hyderabad and its history is eelish, its so slippery that its difficult to hold it accordingly, there are many, many versions and it truly befits to say History is Cloud Chamber.