Hyderabad, Dec 12 (IANS) The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) Saturday celebrated the central government’s decision to take steps for the birth of a Telangana state by taking out a victory rally here.
Dancing to drumbeats and folk songs from the region, hundreds of TRS activists began the rally from TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao’s residence to Telangana Bhavan, the party headquarters.

Holding up the party’s pink flags and pictures of the party chief as well as Congress president and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the activists marched through the streets raising slogans of “Jai Telangana”.

KCR, whose 11-day fast forced the government to agree to the demand for Telangana state, and other top leaders did not participate in the rally in view of the tension and protests in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

KCR, discharged from the hospital Friday, appeared on the balcony of his residence and waved to party activists before the rally began.

TRS sources said the rally was deliberately kept a low-profile event in view of the situation in other parts of the state.

Addressing the rally at Telangana Bhavan, party leader and former minister N. Narasimha Reddy said the people of Telangana were thankful to Sonia Gandhi for accepting their long pending demand.

Narasimha Reddy said nobody could now stop Telangana from becoming a separate state.