Fwd: Freedom fighter: one who fights against Bharat

Freedom Fighter: One who fights against India
SWARAJ THAPA

Economic Times SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 2005 01:57:01 AM]

NEW DELHI: Freedom fighters or anti-nationals? It was after a heated
debate that the Union Cabinet yesterday finally ruled that the 4,000
odd Communists, who not only participated in the armed struggle to
liberate Hyderabad but persisted with the agitation against the Indian
government, were freedom fighters.

The issue found its inclusion in the agenda of the Cabinet after the
Left parties, especially the CPI, made a strong push for giving due
recognition to these fighters, mostly Communists, who took part in the
Telengana armed struggle from 1946 to 1949.

These persons were identified to be included in the list of freedom
fighters in 1997 during the tenure of Union home minister Indrajit
Gupta, who had announced that they would get pensions at par with
those who participated in the movement led by the Congress.

The list was initially drawn by CPI leader Rajeshwar Rao.

However, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, it appears, was in a quandary
as the previous NDA government had rejected the proposal on the ground
that they were not freedom fighters but had in fact, worked against
the freedom struggle.

The BJP, in fact, had even come out with booklets describing them as
anti-nationals and the then Andhra Pradesh BJP chief Vidyasagar Rao
had written to then union home minister LK Advani on the issue.

Shedding light on the subject in the meeting yesterday, union I&B
minister Jaipal Reddy, who was also a member of the UF government,
told his cabinet colleagues that though the Communists did intend to
persist with the arms struggle even after the liberation of Hyderabad,
they dropped the agitation subsequently.

However, since they had fought together alongside others from the
Congress against the seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, their
contribution in the struggle to free Hyderabad could not be negated.

With this argument carrying the day, it was eventually decided to
include Communists in the list of 11,000 previously sanctioned by the
government.

The 4,000 odd additions, who are now entitled to pensions and other
benefits like railway concessions, will cost the exchequer Rs 20 crore
anually.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-991036,curpg-2.cms