"Nothing bigger than Maa Bharati's aan, baan, shaan": PM Modi remembers Sardar Patel on Hyderabad Liberation Day

Dhar (Madhya Pradesh) [India], September 17 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday recalled the contributions of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, on Hyderabad Liberation Day and hailed the "iron-strong will" of the country's first Minister of Home Affairs, in making Hyderabad a part of the Indian Union post-Independence.
Addressing a public rally in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, PM Modi said, "Today, September 17, is another historic day. On this day, the nation saw the iron-strong will of Sardar Patel. The Indian army liberated Hyderabad and protected its rights, and reestablished India's pride."
"Hyderabad Liberation Day inspires us. There is nothing bigger than Maa Bharati's (Mother India) aan, baan, aur shaan (dignity, splendour and pride)," he said.
Taking a veiled dig at the Opposition, he said that the achievement was not celebrated for decades.
"Decades passed, but no one celebrated this achievement. But our government made this event immortal. We started celebrating this day as Hyderabad Liberation Day. Today, the Liberation Day is being celebrated with pride in Hyderabad," the Prime Minister said.
On that day in 1948, the then-Hyderabad state merged with the Indian Union. Accordingly, the national flag will be hoisted at all government offices, urban local bodies, and gram panchayats on September 17.
In 2023, the then-BRS government decided to celebrate September 17 as National Integration Day. The Union government, however, decided to celebrate it as Hyderabad Liberation Day, with the Ministry of Home Affairs issuing a gazette notification to this effect.
Hyderabad merged with the Indian Union on September 17, 1948, following a "police action" under Operation Polo. While some describe it as liberation from Nizam rule, others refer to it as a merger with the Indian Union.
Earlier today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unfurled the national flag at Secunderabad's parade ground to celebrate the occasion.
Multiple other leaders, including Gajender Singh Shekhawat, Kishan Reddy, and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, among others, participated in the program. (ANI)