BJP credits Patel for Liberation of Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: The BJP accused the late prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru of developing cold feet when it came to putting down the atrocities in Hyderabad State before it was liberated by Sardar Vallabhai Patel, who took a decision to send Indian armed forces to put an end to the killings and mayhem by the Razakaars and the forces of the Nizam government.

Senior BJP leader Konda Vishweshwar Reddy told reporters, "When my grandfather, Konda Venkata Rangareddy, and Boorgula Ramakrishna Rao, Congress leaders of that time, went to meet Nehru and briefed him about the atrocities on the people of Hyderabad state, Nehru refused to take any action."

According to a book by K.M. Munshi, who was the Agent of India in Hyderabad at that time, Nehru did not want to act and feared that any action could result in another Partition-like situation in Hyderabad. "It was then that Rangareddy and Rao went and met with Patel, who took a decision and launched Operation Polo, liberating Hyderabad," Vishweshwar Reddy said.

Nehru later ensured that these two Congress leaders were expelled from the party, as were several others who were in support of Patel's action, as he believed they went behind his back and struck a deal with Patel, Vishweshwar Reddy, addressing the press meet along with Nizamabad MP Arvind Dharmapuri, said. "This is the history of what happened; Nehru did not want to take any action to free Hyderabad from the clutches of the Nizam and Razakaars," he said.