In a statement, the CPI State secretariat stated that the armed struggle was necessary to resist the atrocities committed by the Nizam's police, Razakars and goondas of feudals supporting the Nizam. The aim of the struggle was to overthrow the Nizam's rule and pave the way for merger of Hyderabad with India.

With India achieving independence on August 15, 1947 and the Nizam's refusal to join the Indian union, the movement against Nizam culminated in a regular warfare, the CPI maintained.

``Discontinuation of armed struggle after police action was a natural corollary but it took some time to defend and protect the activists of the struggle as the then Congressgovernment extended its full support to the feudal landlords,'' the statement said.

The situation prevailing at the time of liberation of Hyderabad by Indian army compelled the Communists ``to take reasonable time that was necessary for an orderly retreat from the armed action and to take to democratic process,'' the CPI explained.

In a separate statement issued from Chennai, veteran CPI leader K L Mahendra recalled the historic role played by the Communist activists during the liberation of Hyderabad and pointed that a number of Communists hoisted the tricolour national flag at that time.

Mentioning that CPI leader Raj Bahadur Gour wrote an article ``Tricolour shall fly over Hyderabad'' which was published by the CPI on August 15, 1947, Mahendra said that he was ``shocked at the canard spread by L K Advani''. ``Let me remind that no RSS volunteer dared hoist the national flag in Hyderabad State,'' he said.

Moreover, Mahendra accused RSS as well as V P Menon, secretary to Sardar Patel, (from whosebook Advani quoted yesterday) of acting as stooges of Britishers. ``On the occasion of Hyderabad liberation day, the anti-Communists resorted to distortion of history for their own ends,'' he lamented.