A Publication by: Pragna Bharathi

• Dr T.H.Chowdary

Sixty years ago on the 17th of September the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad ordered his army to stop fighting, and surrender to Indian forces. He expressed his decision to accede to the Indian Union, just like more than five hundred Princes, Nawabs and Rajus and Mahrajas had done earlier. The Nizam’s desire to be an independent sovereign, an Islamic king was finished.

Kasim Razvi, who was the Chief of the Ittehadul-ul-Muslameen (The Majlis-ithehadul-Muslameen, MIM of Owaisis is the successor to the Ittehad) raised a non-state, two lakh strong armed “volunteer force of Razakars, was asserting that sovereignty over Hyderabad state (Telengana and Marathwada and Hyderabad Karnataka) was not in the Nizam but with the Muslims of the state (9% of the population). Kasim Razvi’s Razakars (armed with swords, pistols, rifles and grenades and other explosives) were looting and setting fire to Hindus homes, raping and abducting women, to frighten Hindus into submission to the Islamic state-to-be of Hyderabad. Haijans forcibly converted to Islam and pressed into Razakars were specially tasked to be vengefully (against caste Hindus) ferocious and murderous Communists under the umbrella of Andhra Maha Sabha waged armed struggles in Nalgonda, Warangal (including Khammam) and Karimnagar districts, against the feudal lords as well as Razakars and almost established their rule in the “liberated” countryside. In the hope that they could liberate the whole of Telengana and establish a communist state, they supported non-accession to and Independence of the Nizam from the Indian union. The ban on the Communist party was therefore lifted on May 4, 1948 by the Nizam. Communists and Razaakars, each for different reasons, became “allies” in opposition to the Indian Union. The communistswaged war against the Indian forces from Sept 17, 1948 till Sept 1950, when under Stalin’s advice their remnants gave up arms and forged the People’s Democratic Front and participated in the General Elections in 1952.

Kasim Razvi and his Razakars held the Nizam in their grip and subverted the Nizam’s government for their purpose of defying India, striking alliance with Pakistan and hoping to arouse Muslim residents of India against the government in Delhi, if it dared to invade and integrate the Hyderabad state with the Indian Union. Given below are extracts from the incendiary, raving speeches of Razvi who held the Nizam and Muslims alike, in fear.

On 19 June 1947, Razvi laid down in a public speech that “to object to the Nizam’s firman of 11-06-1947 “declaring Nizam’s intention to be independent) is against loyalty. IT is the natural right of Hyderabad to declare independence and paramountcy rests with the Muslims” (9% of population; Hindus 91%)!

On 27 July 1947 Ittehad celebrated Independence Day in Hyderabad City. Razvi declared that Hyderabad was free and independent and threatened direct action (like that Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s Muslim League launched on 16 Aug 1946 to divide India and create Pakistan) against the Nizam’s government if it ever acceded to the Indian Union.

In November 1947, Kasim Razvi met with Sardar Patel in Delhi. The meeting was contrived by one Sri Joshi, a Gujarati businessman of Jalna, and a minister in Nizam’s cabinet. Here is what transpired.

“Well asked the Sardar, ‘what do you want?’

Razvi had the look of a fanatic, his rolling eyes emitting fire as if he were possessed. He glared angrily for a moment. Joshi was nervous, but Sardar’s eyes were unflinching.

Razvi broke the silence by saying, “I want a change of heart from you”.

When he so wished, Sardar could make silence very uncomfortable. At Length he remarked, ‘A change of heart is only necessary for one whose heart is full of poison.’

‘Why don’t you let Hyderabad remain independent?’ asked Razvi.

‘I have gone beyond all possible limits. I have conceded to Hyderabad what I did not concede to any other State,’ returned Sardar.

‘But I want you to understand the difficulties of Hyderabad, ‘pursued Razvi.

‘I don’t see any difficulty unless you have come to some understanding. With Pakistan, was Sardar’s reply.

‘If you do not see our difficulties, we will not yield,’ cried Razvi working himself up to a state of excitement. We shall fight and die to te last man for Hyderabad.

‘How can I stop you from committing suicide if you want to? Sardar Blandly replied.

‘You do not know the Muslims of Hyderabad; repeated Razvi. We shall sacrifice everything for our independence.”

‘If it comes to sacrifice, India has shown what it can do, but Hyderabad

Has yet to show what it can’, came the cool reply.

Razvi now began a hysterical tirade on the shedding of blood for the Deen and the Millat. Sardar listened in stolid silence to what Razvi had to say and, when he paused for breath, said, I would advise you to see the sun before it is too late. Do not plunge into darkness while the light is still visible…

“Weapons Week” was celebrated in March 1948 at Dar-us-salam, the official s HQ of the Ittehad (it is now with MIN, its successor). On the last day 31^st March 1948 razvi took the salute at the march past of the Razakars and spoke:

“If India is free today, remember it was due to the sword and arms of Muslims. (The victory of India over Pakistan in Kargil in 1999 was claimed by a Muslim leader of Samajwadi party of UP to be due to Mus- lim soldiers in the Indian Army- Razvi relives in the words of this “secular” ally of Mulayam Singh)

After the rally at the end of the “Weapons Weak was over, Razvi rated: Hyderabad is an Islamic State. The Indian Union is trying to wipe out this Muslim rule from the Deccan. Remember that there are four-and-a- half crores of Muslims in the Dominion, looking to us to raise the banner of this Islamic State…

Ittehad expects every Muslim to do his duty. I am glad that Muslim women are also coming forward to help the Razakars. I appeal to my Muslim sisters to support whole-heartedly this movement, and, if possible to train themselves in the art of self-defence. The time is not far off when we have to throw our entire weight to maintain the integrity of this Islamic State. We have been ruling the Deccan for the last 800 years and we shall rule it whether the Indian Union likes it or not.

Power has come to the hands of the Indian Union after one thousand years They are not capable of ruling. That is the reason why they lost it to the Muslims. Now, when that power has come to them, they think they can browbeat us and terrorise us by bullying and blustering…

When once the Indian Union makes any aggression on us, remember the 41/2 crores of Muslims will raise the banner of revolt. We will give back in the same coin and speak to them in the same language that they will understand…

I know every one of you is imbued with the spirit of jehad. Remember Karbala. A Muslim is a warrior. He is a first-class fighting man. Indeed, Indian History is full of glorious episodes of the heroism of the Muslims. If India is free to-day, remember it was due to the sword and arms of the Muslims. A Muslim is a born fighter and a protector of the weak.. His one central ambition is to fight for a right and just case. He will be guided by the great tenets of Qoran. Now, my Muslim brothers, onward march. Never put back your sword into the sheath till your object is achieved. Stop not till you reach your goal (cries of Delhi Chalo). Hound out the enemy. Do not spare him. Mind not your troubles. We believe in God. We have no other friends except Allah, who has created this Islamic State and who shall never let us down. Qoran is in one hand and the sword is in the other, let us march forward; cut our enemies to pieces; establish our Islamic supremacy…

I know the helplessness of our Muslim brothers in the Indian Union. Let us by our example of unsurpassed heroism, courage and vision, extend the much-needed succourt them.. They will be our ‘Fifth Columnists’ in the union. Now the Union is thinking of a ‘Fifth Column’ among us. We shall turn the tables and they will understand the character of the Mussalman.. A Hindu who is a kafir, a worshipper of stone and monkey (laughter), who drinks cow’s urine and eats cow dung in the name of religion (renewed laughter), and who is a barbarian, in every sense of the word, wants to rule us! What an ambition and what a day-dream!…

My heart is bleeding. The Hindus want to repeat the same holocaust that they had staged at Delhi. Their methods of coercing Hyderabad to be a mere vassal is the typical example of the ‘Bania’ rule. The only answer to them is the naked sword. I may e here to-day, and perhaps not tomorrow. But I can assure you, my brethren, if you want to see Kasim Razvi in the midst of our life and death struggle, look for him not in the palatial buildings of Banjara, or in pleasant tea parties, but in the midst of the battle-fields (cries of Allah Ho Akbar and Siddisque Deccan Zindabad). You will see me slaying or being slain with sword in my hand and he Qoran in my body….

I repeat to you the couplet of the immortal poet Iqbal: ‘What’s it in life, life is only the means to the end, the eternal end; to lay it down in the cause of Islam’. Now I bid you god-speed; protect your Islamic State; protect your blood brothers in the Indian Union and your Islamic rule”

On April 8, 1948 in another violent speech Kasim Razvi raved: “ Hyderabad will shortly recover the Ceded districts and the day is not far off when the waves of the Bay of Bengal will be washing the feet of our sovereign, who will not be called the Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar, but also of the Northern Sarkars.” No wonder the MIM is now extending its activities to these areas.

In his speech to his crowds, on May 3, 1948 he spoke:

What kind of freedom have you (India)? You (India) presume to deliver sermons on freedom to the world. But just look at yourself, look at your condition and see what kind of freedom you have achieved. There is Pakistan in your neighbourhood; take a lesson from it. It can teach you constitution and law. The main purpose behind law is peace and prosperity. Everywhere in Indi a you find anarchy. (It is) a country where there is nopeace and security and where loot and murder are of daily occurrence. (On the oteh r hand) there is no oppression and anarchy in your State.”

(-take a lesson from Pakistan! (Sunnis killing Shias and vice versa; both killing Ahmedias and Christians; and forcibly converting Hindus- should India learn to do so?)

Muslims have always created a new geography for themselves. Very soon the boundaries of Hyderabad will expand for beyond Delhi, and the Asafia Flag will fly over Delhi. Yes, I am seeing the Nizam (Asafe- Sabia) marching towards Delhi.

On June 10, 1948 he said:

Following the example of Muslims of early days they should not remain content with the small piece of Pakistan…. We are re-writing the map of India by bringing together a union of Jumna and Musi (the river which flows through by Hyderabad). We are the grandsons of Mahmood Ghaznavi and the sons of Babar (were they Indians or foreigners). When determined, we shall fly the Asaf Jahi flag on the Red Fort. 

They (the Muslims) would not be content with one Pakistan in the Deccan,” They would knit India and the world into Pakistan. Did not their forebears do the same thing 1,300 years ago?’ he concluded. 

In another speech on June 12, raved: 

It is because, as they themselves say, when Lord Mountbatten leaves India, massacres will start again. My Hindu brethren, the Muslims have ruled over you (Hindus) for 900 years; therefore, I have sympathy with you. If I had wished, I could have exterminated you. (A Muslim leader of Hyderabad declared recently that if the Indian Army did not intervene for 15 mnts, his men could wipe out all Hindus…is this not inspired by Razvi)

Razvi had distributed arms to his followers and given orders for indiscriminate massacre when the Indian army entered Hyderabad. Fortunately the “heroic” Islamic warriors dared not to kill any.

Peace in the hearts… 

Speaking from the balcony of the Fateh Maidan on 27 Feb 1949, Sardar Patel said: 

“there is now peace in the State on the surface but as long as there is not peace in the hearts of the people there can be no progress. During the recent past you have had to undergo a lot of difficulties…but thank god, those difficulties have now been removed and the people saved”. 

(Can we say that there is peace in the hearts of people who cherish the Razakars and almost repeat their words?)

 “…freedom has been achieved but the ordinary citizen should not say there had been greater security in slavery than under freedom…”

(Yes, with kabjedars and jihadis; and infiltrator hosts abounding in Hyderabad)

Not all Moslem intellectuals were Razakarists. Shoebullah Khan was an intrepid, nationalist, journalist and editor of Imroze who was boldly and persistently urging the Nizam to accede to the Indian Union. On 22 August 1948 he was shot dead and his hands cut off, as ordered by Kasim Razvi. The Ittehads were liquidating their enemies, just as ISIS And Pakistan’s jihadis and their likes in India are doing now. India Must not allow Razakarism to rise again.

(Source: The Book, “The End of an Era” by K M Munshi, published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan)