Captain Panduranga Reddy strikes again, this time over Indira Gandhi’s view on Telangana!

After proving earlier this year that a Hyderabadi woman Suraiya Tayabji designed the national flag and not Pingali Venkaiah, the President of Voice Of Telangana Capt. Lingala Panduranga Reddy struck again! The septugenarian is perhaps the most enthusiastic when it comes to researching historical facts of Telangana. This time he came out with details rebutting CM Kiran Kumar Reddy’s repeated claims that former PM Indira Gandhi was against creation of Telangana in 1971. In his 324 page book ‘States’ Reorganization: A Case Study of Andhra Pradesh’, he states that Indira had favored granting Telangana during the first phase of the statehood movement in 1969. She changed her mind due to a pending petition filed by Pakistan in the UN Security Council that forced her to defend united Andhra Pradesh. The petition in UN was dropped only in 1979 by when the Telangana agitation was suppressed.

He went on to add that when Indira Gandhi decided to announce the Telangana state. The machinery was set in motion and she instructed her principal secretary, PN Haksar, to work out the details. But, TN Kaul, the then foreign secretary, reminded her of the pending case of Hyderabad state in the United Nations Organization and dissuaded her not to touch upon the issue. “Kaul recorded this in his memoir,” Panduranga Reddy said.

Earlier this year, he cited multiple sources to disprove that Pingali Venkaiah designed Indian national flag and bought to our attention that English historian Trevor Royle in his book “The Last Days of the Raj” has written (quoted below) the national flag was actually designed by Badruddin Tayabji’s wife Suraiya Tayabji.

“By one of those contradictions which run through India’s history, the national flag was designed by a Muslim, Badr-ud-Din Tyabji. Originally the tricolour was to have contained the spinning-wheel symbol (charka) used by Gandhi but this was a party symbol which Tyabji thought might strike the wrong note. After much persuasion Gandhi agreed to the wheel because the Emperor Ashoka was venerated by Hindu and Muslim alike. The flag which flew on Nehru’s car that night had been specially made by
Tyabji’s wife.”

(Tyabji was an ICS officer in the Prime Minister’s office in 1947. He was known for erudition and scholarship and his wife’s name was Suraiyya. She was none other than niece of Sir Akbar Hydari of Hyderabad. Her wedding too was performed in Hyderabad city.)

Earlier this year, he refused his Ph.D in Philosophy from Osmania University protesting against injustice to Urdu in the University and delay in creation of Telangana.

The Captain definitely is a repository of information in history and sure will come with more such revelations.