Nizam was great, secular ruler: Telangana CM

Hyderabad, Jan 1 (IANS) Showering praise on the Nizam, the ruler of erstwhile Hyderabad State, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao described him as great and secular.

"He was glorious king. Some small mistakes may have happened but they happen in any kingdom," KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, said while lauding him for development and welfare projects.

Inaugurating 75th All India Industrial Exhibition here Thursday evening, he recalled the role played by Nizam in promoting the annual exhibition popularly known as 'numaish'.

Defending his praise for Nizam and visiting his grave on the occasion of his death anniversary, KCR said when people in Andhra Pradesh can celebrate birth and death anniversary of Arthur Cotton, a British engineer, why can't he visit the Nizam's grave.

"They remember Cotton every year because he built Godavari Anicut, which irrigates four lakh acres. He was an engineer of British Raj which suppressed and looted the country for 200 years," said the chief minister.

KCR said the Nizam built Nizamsagar project in Telangana. "Nizam is our king. It is our history but in the united Andhra Pradesh they made every attempt to wipe out our history," said KCR targetting the successive governments of undivided state.

The chief minister said it was the Nizam who built the Nizam Sugar Factory, Secunderabad and Nampally railway stations, Osmania, Gandhi, Niloufer, cancer and orthopaedic hospitals. "Have they added any railway station or government hospital in Hyderabad other than those built by Nizam," asked the president of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

He pointed out that even after losing power following 'police action', last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan got an orthopaedic hospital constructed on his land and with his money.

"He was then governor or Raj Pramukh. When his driver fractured his hand, he sent him to Osmania Hospital for treatment. The doctors said the treatment is available only in Bombay and Madras. The Nizam asked then chief minister to construct an orthopedic hospital on his 250 acre land and with his money."

Brushing aside the doubts over Hyderabad's development, KCR said no one can stop it. He claimed that no other city in India has such a cosmopolitan society. "You find people of all religions and communities here. For three centuries the city absorbed everybody who came here," he said.

He alleged that the city suffered during last few years due to short-sighted policies of the rulers from Andhra.

Stating that every year 10 lakh people were adding to the city's population, the TRS chief said the infrastructure was not catering to the needs. He referred to traffic gridlock and stagnation of rain water on roads.

KCR vowed to develop Hyderabad as a true global and smart city. He promised to develop s multilayer flyovers, signal-free and traffic police free crossroads.

The chief minister sought the cooperation of people of Hyderabad to decongest the city.