TELANGANA armed struggle day was observed under the aegis of CPI(M) Telangana state committee through an anniversary celebration meeting at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram in Hyderabad on 17th September, 2014. Before the meeting Telangana armed struggle warrior and noted writer Dasarathi Rangacharya was honoured by CPI(M) leaders at his residence. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member B V Raghavulu was the main speaker in the meeting that was presided over by CPI(M) state secretariat member Sarampally Mallareddy. Raghavulu asserted that it was the Telangana armed struggle conducted by communists that brought down Nizam’s tyrannical government and therefore only the communists have the moral right to claim its legacy. He cautioned the forces that were trying to distort the history and belittle the heroic armed struggle to refrain from doing so as it will not be tolerated. He further said that the armed struggle was undertaken for land distribution, development of Telugu language, access to education, village self-government apart from ending the authoritarian regime of Nizam. However, those goals are yet to be realised, he said. Raghavulu said the aspiration of separate Telangana state was realised but the rulers should take lessons from the spirit of that struggle. The feudal mindset was yet to be wiped out from Telangana and the state could not progress without driving out the feudal thinking. The rule of the feudal lords in rural Telangana had to be ended and in this context he said that the Telangana government should not have any authoritarian streak. Referring to the undeclared ban on two channels in the state, Raghavulu found fault with the chief minister stating that he did not know about it. Although communists were at the receiving end of the coverage of corporate media, they were committed to upholding the freedom of the press and wanted that its rights must not be violated. For Telangana to really develop more people should get education. If education of SC, ST, BC, minorities and artisans was not focused upon the economic and social development was not possible, felt Raghavulu. In the matter of health also, Telangana was lagging behind. Rich people could access costly treatment from corporate hospitals in Hyderabad but the poor were deprived of proper medical facilities. Saying that land was concentrated in Telangana, he called for movement to break this concentration. The BJP was trying to get strengthened in the new state by fanning communal trouble. He reminded that in Telangana armed struggle both Hindus and Muslims fought unitedly against the Nizam’s rule. Raghavulu concluded by calling upon the people to take inspiration from the Telangana armed struggle and fight for realising their demands. Speaking on the occasion, Telangana armed struggle veteran Mallu Swarajyam said that the heroic Telangana armed struggle was conducted for land, livelihood and liberation of the poor. Hinting at the BJP she asked where were those during that time who are now talking of liberation day. Real freedom would come only when everybody got land and employment. A peasant’s revolution was yet to take place in India. The surplus land in the hands of landed gentry and feudal lords has to be distributed to the poor, she demanded. It was wicked on the part of the chief minister to say that only lakh acres were available for distributing to the poor whereas he announced that 5 lakh acres are available for for allotting to the corporates. Telangana state CPI(M) secretary Thammineni Veerabhadram demanded that the question of loan waiver to peasants should be settled by 30th September, the deadline for getting new loans. Agriculture was hit badly due to lack of rains and absence of new loans. He warned that if by the end of the month the loan waiver issue was not settled, the peasantry would be on struggle path. The government was postponing the assembly session for fear of its financial mismanagement getting exposed. He said that a fresh struggle on the question of land would be undertaken. United struggles would be taken up along with communist parties, social and mass organisations on the demand of implementation of promises, he said. CPI(M) Andhra Pradesh state secretary P Madhu said that the rule of exploitation did not bother about any region, caste or religion. Telangana armed struggle had given the message that struggle had to be taken up against exploitation. Even after the bifurcation of the composite Andhra Pradesh state, problems were not getting solved. It can happen only when the governments are forced through people's movements. CPI(M) Telangana state secretariat member Cherupally Sitaramulu and MLA Sunnam Rajaiah participated in the meeting. BOX ITEM: Dasarathi Rangacharya Honoured The CPI(M) honoured Dasarathi Rangacharya, a Telangana armed struggle warrior, writer and man of letters as part of celebrating Telangana merger day on 17th September at his residence in Hyderabad. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member B V Raghavulu, Telangana armed struggle veteran Mallu Swarajyam, the CPI(M) state secretaries of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Thammineni Veerabhradam and P Madhu, CPM central committee member S Veeraiah, Telangana state secretariat members Cherupally Sitaramulu and D G Narasimha Rao, state president of Sahithi Sravanti, Telakapalli Ravi were present on the occasion. Rangacharya was honoured with a shawl and bouquet and also with Sundarayya’s autobiography and his book on lessons of the brave Telangana armed struggle. Talking to media persons who met him on the occasion, Rangacharya said that September 17th was a day of liberation. Struggle had been his inspiration and ideal. In his autobiography he had detailed the course of Telangana armed struggle graphically. His pen had sharpened through struggle only. He said that he was greatly inspired by Soviet Union and that he had participated in the electricity movement in the year 2000. It was a a great movement against an authoritarian government led by Chandrababu Naidu. That government behaved like a demon, not allowing to hold a meeting. He asserted that Socialism was the future and people would have to struggle for realising their demands.