During this period, important developments occurred in the Princely State of Hyderabad. On one side, there was the spread of the National Movement, and on the other, the Telangana Peasant Struggle was underway. The economic, political, and social conditions that prevailed in Hyderabad State were more severe than those in the provinces ruled by the British. Peasants were oppressed, land revenue was excessive, education was retarded, and there were no health or social services.
In addition to these, in Hyderabad State, slavery, serfdom, and forced labour remained common.
The growth of Nationalism in the Hyderabad Princely State was rather slow when compared to the rest of British India. However, the people’s movements against the Nizam were an absorbing encounter. He used different strategies to retain power, but the people demanded change in governance and a responsible Government.
The most intensive phase of the Hyderabad Freedom Struggle occurred immediately after the transfer of power to Indian hands in 1947. As such, the freedom struggle assumed both the characteristics of liberation and the problem of India’s unity, integrity, and security, thereby providing a wider canvas.
In such a context, the torch-bearers of the Hyderabad Freedom Struggle, led by Swami Ramanand Tirtha, had to come out with their heart-rendering stories of sacrifice, the inter-linkages, the political cross-currents through which the struggle had to pass, and the important and imaginative turns it took—leading to a successful culmination in achieving democratic freedom for the people and strengthening, in a larger sense, the integrity and unity of India.
In late 1945, a Peasant Uprising began in the Telangana area, led by the Communists. The Communists drew their support from various quarters. Among the poor peasants, there were strong grievances against the Jagirdari system, which covered 43% of land holdings.
Initially, they also drew support from rich peasants who fought under the Communist banner, but by 1948, the coalition had disintegrated. In 1945, the Communists targeted Zamindars and even the Hindu Deshmukhs, but soon they launched a full-fledged revolt against the Nizam.
Starting in mid-1946, the conflict between the Razakars and the Communists became increasingly violent, with both sides resorting to brutal methods.
