A statue and a conflict

The controversy over a statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gulbarga shows up an attempt by communal groupings to make political capital by reconstructing the history of the struggle against the Nizam of Hyderabad.

PARVATI MENON
in Gulbarga

THE recent controversy over the proposed unveiling of a statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in the heart of the communally sensitive town of Gulbarga in northern Karnataka provides yet another instance of the reconstruction of history for the purpose of political mobilisation by communal parties and groups. The statue was to have been unveiled on September 17 by Union Home Minister L.K. Advani, in the presence of Karnataka Chief Minister J.H. Patel, in commemoration of 'Liberation Day': September 17, 1948, was the day on which the people of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad were 'liberated' from the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad.

However, the unveiling was postponed by the district administration two days before the scheduled date. The reason offered was J.H. Patel's inability to attend the function on account of other commitments; however, the real reason appears to have been fears that the issue could exacerbate communal tensions. The statue is now likely to be unveiled on October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel; but a cautious State Government has made no official announcement to this effect. Meanwhile, the statue, covered with zinc sheets, stands in the middle of the busy Thimmapuri Chowk, guarded by armed policemen.

The controversy brought into focus the gamut of competing political interests in the Hyderabad Karnatak region, which comprises the five districts of Gulbarga, Bidar, Raichur, Koppal and Bellary, all of which were part of the erstwhile Hyderabad state. While the Bharatiya Janata Party's electoral base may not compare favourably with the electoral bases of parties that have traditionally been strong in the area, such as the Congress(I) and the Janata Dal, its presence is not insignificant. The statue controversy also shows that the BJP has been partially successful in occupying a space that had been neglected by these parties: the historical legacy of the freedom movement and the anti-Nizam struggle, which the BJP and its Hindutva supporters are now laying claim to.

BHAWANI SINGH
Under police protection and covered with zinc sheets, the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at Thimmapuri Chowk in Gulbarga. It was to have been unveiled by Union Home Minister L.K. Advani on September 17 as part of the 'Liberation Day' celebrations, but the unveiling was postponed reportedly for fear of exacerbating communal tensions.

The decision to install a statue of Vallabhbhai Patel to mark the 50th anniversary of 'Liberation Day' was announced by Malikkaya Guttedar, the State's Minister for Backward Classes and Minorities and the Minister in Charge of Gulbarga district, on September 17 last year.

This is the fourth year that 'Liberation Day' was observed in Gulbarga. The idea of observing the day was mooted by a group of young intellectuals led by Veerabhadra Simpi, a literary activist who was the president of the Udayonmukha Barahagarara Balaga. They set up the Hyderabad Karnataka Vimochana Dinacharana Samiti with the idea of promoting awareness of the history, literature and culture of the Hyderabad Karnatak region. The Samiti's office-bearers were leading businessmen, some of them with BJP sympathies. This group took over the leadership of the Samiti in the subsequent years and set its agenda. Sasheel G. Namoshi, a BJP member of the Legislative Council, became its secretary, a position he continues to hold.

As the preparations to celebrate 'Liberation Day' this year gained momentum, the demand to declare September 17 a holiday in the five districts of Hyderabad Karnatak grew in strength. In June this year the Karnataka Cabinet approved a decision to declare the day a holiday in Gulbarga, Bidar, Raichur and Koppal districts. The Samiti was promised funds for the celebrations from the zilla panchayat, the Gulbarga City Corporation and the Hyderabad Karnatak Development Board. The Samiti was expanded to include the Members of Parliament, Members of the Legislative Assembly from the area, the Mayor, the presidents of the zilla panchayats and the taluka panchayats, and other elected representatives. The celebrations thus became official, although many prominent political leaders were excluded from the Samiti.

At a meeting on September 2 of representatives of political parties to discuss the preparations for this year's celebrations, the Samiti announced that Advani had agreed to unveil the statue at the invitation of the Chief Minister. This drew protests from some sections. Maruti Manpade, district secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said: "We strongly objected to Advani's choice as he is a controversial figure against whom there are cases in the Babri Masjid demolition case...The Samiti took the decision without consulting us and got the Chief Minister to write to him well before they presented this fact to us." The CPI(M)'s stand was supported by all non-BJP parties, including the Congress(I), the Lok Shakti and the Janata Dal. These parties criticised the BJP's attempts to "hijack" the celebrations. Iqbal Ahmad Saradagi, district president of the Congress(I), said: "The BJP is giving the impression that it was they who liberated the area. In fact, it was a Congress-led movement and the credit should go to the Congress. Very few freedom fighters were invited (for the celebrations). The BJP has used the occasion to gain political mileage."

Alongside this, the historical significance of 'Liberation Day' increasingly acquired communal overtones, and this was reflected in the way a section of the media projected the issue. The massacres of the Hindu population by the Razakars, the volunteer force of the Nizam, were highlighted. The broad-based nature of the struggle against the feudal autocracy of the Nizam and the fact that there were Hindus who fought with the Nizam just as there were Muslims who fought against him were overlooked.

When a section of Muslims opposed the event on the grounds that it was a reminder of the massacre of Muslims that took place after the Indian Army entered Hyderabad state, they were denounced as being communal.

THE BJP has chosen to project its version of 'Liberation Day' not just in Karnataka, but in Telengana and Marathwada, the other two regions which were part of the Nizam's dominion. "The people of this region should be aware of their history," Namoshi told Frontline. Asked why the Samiti's emphasis was on the 'liberation' of the region from the rule of the Nizam, and not on the more positive and socially integratory aspect of the merger of Hyderabad into the Indian Union, Namoshi asserted that it was indeed 'liberation' that they wanted to highlight. Namoshi said: "We discussed this at great length. The Nizam was ruling and there was terror against the people. Ultimately it was at Patel's insistence that the police action was ordered against the Nizam. Even Nehru was not in favour of this."

B.R. Patil, former Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council, who is from Aland taluk in Gulbarga district, was a young boy during the massacre by the Razakars. He was born in a village near Solapur near the Maharashtra border. He said: "The communal forces are taking advantage of the whole thing. The demand for independence was shared by all sections - Hindus and Muslims. The RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) is trying to project Patel as a Hindu and as their man." He said that there were many Hindu religious maths which supported the Razakars; on the other hand, there were also religious maths that had given protection to Muslims during the mass killings of Muslims after the police action and the merger of the region with the Indian Union.

Manpade said: "We look upon September 17 as 'integration day'." He added: "Five princely states refused to join the Indian Union in 1947. Why are they (the BJP) initiating struggles in the erstwhile Hyderabad state alone? Because it was ruled by a Muslim, a large percentage of Muslims continue to live here, and they can create tensions." He went on to add: "Not one RSS man died in that struggle, only Communists and Congress members. So we want to tell J.H. Patel not to play into their hands by extending an invitation to Advani."

The decision to postpone the unveiling was taken after a visit to Gulbarga by State Home Minister P.G.R. Sindhia and Director-General of Police T. Srinivasulu following a series of meetings they had with representatives of all political parties, the district administration, and the Samiti. The real reason for the postponement was the fear of a law and order problem that would assume a communal colour. The decision has been criticised by parties across the political spectrum as a symbol of the ineptness of a Government that took over the responsibility for conducting an event and then developed cold feet. However, it did serve to delink the statue issue from the 'Liberation Day' festivities, which passed off without any trouble. But the statue waits to be unveiled and the Samiti is determined to make an event of it. "If the Government does not do it, we will be forced to do it ourselves," said Namoshi.

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