Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan on Thursday, 17 September declared that 17 September 1948 marked the conclusion of a decisive chapter in India's post-independence history — the integration of the erstwhile Hyderabad State into the Indian Union through Operation Polo. He was addressing the 79th Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations at Parade Ground, Secunderabad.

A Reminder of Nation-Building, Not Just History

Radhakrishnan stressed that Hyderabad Liberation Day is not merely a commemoration of a historic date but a living reminder of the values that continue to bind Bharat together. He described the story of Hyderabad as one of statesmanship, courage and sacrifice, followed by the larger and continuing task of building a constitutional democracy in which every citizen has an equal place.

The Vice President noted that the integration process reflected the enormous challenges faced by a young nation in unifying people who had emerged from vastly different political circumstances.

Tribute to Sardar Patel and the Freedom Struggle

Paying tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Radhakrishnan said that as India's first Home Minister and Minister for States, Patel bore an extraordinary responsibility at a time when the country was simultaneously recovering from Partition and consolidating hundreds of princely states into one Union. He placed Patel alongside Mahatma Gandhi and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose as pivotal architects of modern India — Gandhi and Bose in winning freedom, and Patel in forging unity from fragmentation.

Radhakrishnan also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is playing a pivotal role in the making of a developed India by 2047.

Honouring Ordinary Patriots

The Vice President paid homage to the people's movement behind the Hyderabad struggle, noting that students, intellectuals, writers, social workers, political activists, farmers and ordinary citizens participated and endured imprisonment, violence and immense personal hardship. He specifically honoured patriots including Ramji Gond, Turrebaz Khan and Komaram Bheem, among many others.

'Political integration can bring territories together; constitutional democracy brings citizens together,' he said, adding that national unity must be strengthened through equal rights, equal dignity and equal opportunity — not geography alone.

Diversity Within Unity

Radhakrishnan underlined that Bharat's unity does not require every citizen to be identical. Indians may speak different languages, follow different traditions, worship differently and hold different political opinions, yet remain bound together by the Constitution and the principle that sovereignty ultimately belongs to the people.

Role of Security Forces and Key Attendees

Acknowledging the Central Armed Police Forces, the Vice President noted their contribution to the integration of princely states in 1947–48 and their continued role in combating Left-Wing Extremism in Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and other affected regions. He inspected the parade, witnessed a March Past and cultural performances, laid a wreath at the War Memorial, and visited an exhibition by the Central Bureau of Communication under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Also present were Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, and Malkajgiri MP Etela Rajender. As India marks 78 years since the integration, the occasion continues to carry political resonance across Telangana and beyond.