Hyderabad State Congress

The Hyderabad State Congress was a political organization established in 1938 to demand responsible government, civil liberties, and political integration of the princely state of Hyderabad with the Indian Union. Operating under the autocratic rule of the Seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, the state lacked basic democratic rights and subjected its population to feudal levies and cultural restrictions. The organization led mass agitations against monarchical rule and the violent Razakar paramilitary force, playing a crucial role in creating the political environment that led to Operation Polo in September 1948 and the state’s eventual accession to India.

Socio-Political Context and Formation

Background and Feudal Repression

• Absolute monarchy under Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan concentrated executive, judicial, and legislative authority in royal hands.
• State authorities imposed Urdu as the sole medium of instruction and official business, suppressing native languages including Telugu, Marathi, and Kannada.
• Rural populations endured forced labor (Vathi) and heavy land revenue collection managed by feudal landlords (Deshmukhs and Jagirdars).
• Regional cultural platforms like the Andhra Mahasabha in Telangana, Maharashtra Parishad in Marathwada, and Karnataka Parishad in the Carnatic region built initial socio-political awareness.

Formation in 1938

• Local leaders established the Hyderabad State Congress on July 29, 1938, to form a unified, non-communal political front across all three linguistic regions of the state.
• Key founding figures included Swami Ramanand Tirth, Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, Govindbhai Shroff, Digambarrao Bindu, Ravi Narayan Reddy, Abid Hasan Safrani, and K.V. Ranga Reddy.
• The Nizam’s government banned the organization in September 1938 before it could hold its first open session, claiming the group was communal.

Major Agitations and Resistance Movements

The 1938 Satyagraha and Vande Mataram Movement

• In October 1938, the State Congress launched a satyagraha demanding civil liberties and the lifting of the ban on its functioning.
• Swami Ramanand Tirth led the protest campaign and faced immediate arrest alongside hundreds of volunteers.
• Simultaneously, students at Osmania University launched the Vande Mataram Movement after college authorities banned the singing of the national song in student hostels.

Anti-Razakar Mobilization and Border Camps

• The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) organized a fanatical paramilitary wing known as the Razakars, led by Kasim Razvi, to maintain Nizam rule and intimidate pro-integration populations.
• The State Congress set up border action committees and resistance camps along the boundaries of Bombay, Madras, and Central Provinces.
• Volunteers organized anti-tax campaigns, defended villages against Razakar raids, and maintained underground communication channels.

Join India Movement (1947)

• On August 7, 1947, the State Congress observed “Join India Day” across Hyderabad state, demanding accession to the Indian Union before British Paramountcy lapsed.
• The Nizam refused to accede and signed a Standstill Agreement with India in November 1947, using the one-year grace period to expand military capabilities and Razakar operations.
• State Congress leadership coordinated mass civil disobedience, boycott of state institutions, and hoisting of the Indian tricolor across government buildings.

Integration and Democratic Transition

Operation Polo (September 1948)

• Unchecked Razakar violence, border skirmishes, and political instability prompted the Indian government to launch a police action code-named Operation Polo on September 13, 1948.
• Major General J.N. Chaudhuri led Indian forces into Hyderabad, leading to the Nizam’s unconditional surrender on September 17, 1948.
• Following the military action, the Indian administration lifted the ban on the Hyderabad State Congress, allowing it to function as a legal political party.

Electoral Victory and State Reorganization

• In the first general elections held in 1952, the Hyderabad State Congress won a clear majority in the 175-member Hyderabad Legislative Assembly.
• Burgula Ramakrishna Rao became the first elected Chief Minister of Hyderabad State in March 1952.
• Under the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, Hyderabad State was dissolved and its linguistic regions were merged into Andhra Pradesh, Bombay State, and Mysore State.

Profiles and Structural Comparisons

Key Leadership of the Movement

Key Facts and Trivia

• Swami Ramanand Tirth’s original birth name was Vyenkatesh Bhagwanrao Khedgikar; he took monastic vows before joining the political movement.
• The Nizam’s government kept the Hyderabad State Congress banned for eight years, from 1938 until 1946.
• Mahatma Gandhi advised the Hyderabad State Congress to suspend its 1938 satyagraha temporarily to prevent communal elements from misinterpreting the political agitation.
• The Hyderabad State Congress operated as a direct affiliate of the All India States’ People’s Conference (AISPC).
• August 7, 1947, was celebrated throughout the state as “Join India Day” following a call by Swami Ramanand Tirth.
• Burgula Ramakrishna Rao served as the Chief Minister of Hyderabad State until its dissolution on November 1, 1956.
• Ranga Reddy district in Telangana was named in honor of K.V. Ranga Reddy, a prominent leader of the Hyderabad State Congress.