Contrary to popular belief, Hyderabad under the Nizam rule witnessed a powerful nationalist movement with several local leaders launching a fight against British colonial rule, says senior historian Dr Thirumali. Dr Thirumali, associated with the department of history, Delhi University, said Hyderabad had nationalist aristocracy and several members of the aristocratic families in the erstwhile Nizam dominion had participated in the meetings of the Indian National Congress. Dr Thirumali was delivering Dr Sheela Raj Memorial lecture on Mir Mehboob Ali Khan, Nizam VI, and his times, organised by the Nizam’s Jubilee Pavilion Trust here on Tuesday.
Dispelling misconception in people’s minds, he said leaders like Aghoranath Chattopadhyaya and Mulla Abdul Qayyum were the first members of the Indian National Congress in Hyderabad. “The aristocracy in Hyderabad was nationalistic aristocracy and not sectarian one. The voice of Hyderabad was the typical nationalist voice of India,” Dr Thirumali pointed out. Referring to Nizam VII, Mir Osman Ali Khan, he said the Nizam was a responsible ruler and did not side with Pakistan when the British had put the option before him. Dr Thirumali quoted the Nizam as saying “I have nothing to do with Pakistan. I am a Deccani ruler. If I join Pakistan, I will become a Muslim ruler” He said the Nizam had wanted peace in the region. “Had the Nizam joined Pakistan, Hyderabad would have witnessed violent incidents similar to the ones that rocked Punjab and Bengal.”
The Nizam played a crucial role as the Raj Pramukh in the transition of Hyderabad from aristocracy to democracy. “Had the Nizam not helped the Indian government in the peaceful transition of power in Hyderabad, things would have been quite different,” he said. Dividing the rule of the Asaf Jahi regime into three stages, he said the regime of the Nizam VI witnessed development while that of Nizam VII saw the emergence of political parties and politics. He said Hyderabad had provided raw material in the form of cotton to boost industrial revolution in England.