Hyderabad State Congress

The Princely State of Hyderabad was the largest and wealthiest princely state in colonial India, spanning the Deccan plateau across parts of modern-day Telangana, Maharashtra (Marathwada), and Karnataka (Kalyana-Karnataka). Under British Paramountcy, it was ruled by the hereditary Asaf Jahi dynasty, with Mir Osman Ali Khan serving as the seventh and final Nizam. Demographically, over 85% of the population was Hindu, whereas the administrative, military, and landed elites were disproportionately drawn from the Muslim minority, creating a deep-seated socio-political imbalance.

Socio-Economic Grievances and Feudal Oppression

The internal administration of Hyderabad was intensely feudal and autocratic, characterized by specific institutional systems:

• The Sarf-e-Khas and Jagirdari Systems: Nearly 10% of the state’s land was designated as Sarf-e-Khas (the Nizam’s personal crown land), while another 30% was controlled by feudal Jagirdars. These landlords extracted exorbitant revenues and arbitrary taxes from the peasantry.
• Institutionalized Forced Labor: The practice of Vetti (forced unpaid labor) was widespread, compelling lower-caste peasants and agricultural laborers to work without compensation for landlords and state officials.
• Suppression of Local Languages: Urdu was enforced as the sole medium of instruction in public education and the exclusive language of official administration, court proceedings, and law. This systematically marginalized the local majority languages—Telugu, Marathi, and Kannada.
• Denial of Civil Liberties: The Nizam’s administration enforced Gasti Nishan-53 (Circular No. 53), a restrictive law that effectively banned public meetings, political associations, and newspapers without prior permission from the state bureaucracy.

Precursor Cultural and Linguistic Movements

Before formal political parties emerged, nationalist awakening in Hyderabad developed through cultural and literary forums that bypassed political bans:

• Andhra Jana Sangham (1921): Formed by Madapati Hanumantha Rao following an incident where Telugu was insulted at a public meeting. It focused on establishing Telugu-medium libraries and schools.
• Nizam Rashtra Andhra Jana Kendriya Sangham (1930): Later renamed the Andhra Mahasabha, this forum expanded into rural areas to openly critique the Vetti system, demand agrarian reforms, and advocate for local languages. Similar organizations developed for Marathi (Marathwada Parishad) and Kannada (Karnataka Parishad) speakers.

Formation and Ideological Architecture of the Hyderabad State Congress

The Institutional Genesis (1938)

Inspired by the Indian National Congress (INC) Haripura Session of February 1938—which formally supported democratic movements in princely states—nationalist leaders in Hyderabad decided to establish a secular political platform. On January 29, 1938, a provisional committee was formed, culminating in the official foundation of the Hyderabad State Congress (HSC) on June 18, 1938.

Immediate Ban and the Nizam’s Strategy

Recognizing the HSC as an existential threat to his absolute rule, the Nizam’s government declared the organization illegal on September 2, 1938, before it could hold its inaugural public session. The state administration issued a communal narrative, branding the secular HSC as a Hindu communal organization designed to subvert Islamic rule, despite the fact that its early manifestos explicitly emphasized communal harmony and responsible government for all citizens under the aegis of the Nizam.

Foundational Leadership Matrix

• Swami Ramanand Tirth: A sanyasi, educator, and deeply committed Gandhian who emerged as the primary architect and radical leader of the HSC.
• Burgula Ramakrishna Rao: A prominent legal mind and strategist who later became the first elected Chief Minister of Hyderabad State.
• Madapati Hanumantha Rao: Pioneer of the library movement and elder statesman of the Telugu national awakening.
• Digambar Rao Bindu: A key organizer who coordinated political networks across the Marathwada region.
• Ravi Narayana Reddy: An early member of the HSC and Andhra Mahasabha who later transitioned to radical left-wing politics and led the communist peasant armed struggle.

Major Agitations and Historical Milestones

The Vande Mataram Movement (1938)

Coinciding with the formation of the HSC, students at Osmania University launched a peaceful protest against a state ban on singing the nationalist anthem Vande Mataram in university hostels. The university authorities mass-rusticated the protesting students. The HSC, alongside external nationalist networks, supported these students, many of whom were later given academic refuge by Nagpur University. This movement served as a vital recruiting ground for young HSC cadres.

The Satyagraha Campaigns (1938–1942)

In October 1938, Swami Ramanand Tirth launched the first individual Satyagraha against the ban on the HSC. Concurrently, the Arya Samaj and the Hindu Maha Sabha launched parallel agitations for religious freedom. To prevent the secular demands of the HSC from being co-opted or diluted by communal narratives, Mahatma Gandhi advised the HSC to suspend its satyagraha in December 1938. This tactical pause allowed the group to build underground rural networks. In 1940, individual Satyagraha was resumed, leading to the mass arrest of HSC leaders.

The Quit India Movement in Hyderabad (1942)

When the INC launched the Quit India Movement in August 1942, Swami Ramanand Tirth secretly met Mahatma Gandhi in Bombay and returned to Hyderabad with the “Do or Die” mandate. He was arrested immediately upon arrival. Under the leadership of G. Sriramulu and other underground cadres, the HSC executed state-wide agitations, distribution of nationalist literature, and sabotage of communication lines, linking Hyderabad’s internal freedom struggle with the broader anti-colonial movement.

The Rise of the Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen and the Razakars

Post-1945, political dynamics shifted with the expansion of the Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (MIM) under the leadership of Kasim Razvi. Razvi established a fanatical, paramilitary wing known as the Razakars. Operating with the tacit support of the Nizam’s police, the Razakars launched a campaign of terror across the state, attacking Hindu villages, assassinating secular activists, and targeting HSC workers to enforce the Anel Malik (We are the Rulers) philosophy and maintain Muslim dominance.

The Joint Action Committee and Armed Resistance (1947)

Following the declaration of Indian Independence on August 15, 1947, the Nizam refused to join the Indian Union, declaring Hyderabad an independent sovereign state. The HSC, operating from border camps in British India under a Joint Action Committee led by Digambar Rao Bindu, launched a massive “Join India” movement. Finding peaceful agitation impossible due to Razakar violence, the HSC set up armed border camps, raided state customs posts, and disrupted the Nizam’s administrative machinery. This resistance operated parallel to, but ideologically distinct from, the Communist-led Telangana Peasant Armed Rebellion.

Fact Sheet: Chronology and Key Facts for Civil Services

Historical Impact, Operation Polo, and Integration

The Culmination of Military and Civil Stalemate

By mid-1948, the Nizam’s administration had completely lost control over large swathes of rural territory due to the dual pressures of the HSC border raids and the Communist armed rebellion. The economic blockade imposed by the Indian Union and the smuggling of weapons by the Nizam via gunrunners like Sydney Cotton created an unstable situation in the heart of the Deccan.

Operation Polo (September 1948)

Citing the breakdown of law and order, the threat of a communist takeover, and the systemic atrocities committed by the Razakars against the civilian population, the Government of India launched a military action codenamed Operation Polo (popularly called “Police Action”) on September 13, 1948. Within five days, the Nizam’s forces under Major General El Edroos surrendered. On September 18, 1948, Hyderabad was formally integrated into the Indian Union.

Transition to Democratic Statehood

The political infrastructure developed by the Hyderabad State Congress provided the foundation for subsequent democratic governance. Following the dissolution of the military administration, the first democratic elections were held in 1952. The HSC won a decisive majority, and Burgula Ramakrishna Rao was sworn in as the first elected Chief Minister of Hyderabad State. In 1956, during the states’ reorganization on a linguistic basis, the components of the old Hyderabad State were distributed among Andhra Pradesh, Bombay State (later Maharashtra), and Mysore State (later Karnataka), completing the geopolitical integration of the region.