Andhra deputy CM leads bike rally to hail Telangana decision

Hailing the union cabinet's decision to carve out separate Telangana state, Congress leaders from the region led by Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha took out a motorbike rally here Friday.

Rajanarsimha, minister Prasad Kumar, MPs V. Hanumantha Rao and Anjan Kumar Yadav and dozens of party workers took out the rally from New MLA Quarters.

The leaders paid tributes at Telangana Martyrs' Memorial in front of the assembly building. They also garlanded statues of Babu Jagjivan Ram and B. R. Ambedkar.

The rally concluded at Indira Gandhi's statue on Necklace Road on the banks of Hussain Sagar.

Meanwhile, Information and Public Relations Minister D.K. Aruna has urged all leaders from Seemandhra to cooperate in formation of Telagana state. She said Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy had a responsibility to cooperate.

She thanked Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the cabinet decision to carve out Telangana state.

Congress leaders in other parts of Telangana also celebrated the cabinet decision. In Nalgonda, former minister Komatireddy Venkatreddy and MP G. Sukhender Reddy cut a cake. Hundreds of party workers were seen distributing crackers and distributing sweets.