Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Telangana on Saturday called on Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and demanded that the state government officially celebrate Telangana liberation day on September 17.

A delegation of party leaders led by BJP’s state unit chief K. Laxman met the governor at Raj Bhavan and submitted her a memorandum.

This was the first meeting by state BJP leaders to submit a memorandum since Soundararajan assumed office as the governor on September 8.

Later, Laxman told reporters that the party will intensify the movement to bring pressure on the state government to officially celebrate the day.

He alleged that Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government under pressure from its ally All Indian Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) was not organizing the official celebrations.

Recalling that BJP for the last 20 years had been fighting over the issue, Laxman alleged that successive governments of Congress, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and TRS followed vote-bank politics by not officially celebrating Telangana Liberation Day.

It was on this day in 1948 that erstwhile Hyderabad State merged with the Indian union following “police action”, as the Indian military operation against Nizam’s army is popularly called.

Laxman announced that BJP will organise hoisting of national flag and also hold ‘Tiranga Yatra’ across the state to mark the day.

The party will organise a public meeting at Patancheru. However, Union Home Minister and BJP president Amit Shah will not be attending the event as was earlier announced by the party leaders.

Laxman said only BJP could pay true respect to the freedom fighters who fought against Nizam and his ‘razakars’ and build Telangana of the dreams of freedom fighters.