I read that if swollen thyroid gland is causing dysphagia they likely request surgery to remove thyroid even if no cancer suspected. how true is this?

Each case would be individualized to the patient. If you cannot eat & the thyroid condition cannot be reversed by treatment, removal can help resolve the issue. The thyroid is likely not making hormone. Taking a single pill daily to make up for what the thyroid is supposed to do would seem a better choice than being fed a liquid formula through a tube to the stomach through your belly wall.