Telangana erupts in joy

Telangana erupted in joy Tuesday after the bill to grant separate statehood to the region was passed in Lok Sabha.

Telangana supporters in Hyderabad and nine other districts of the region burst firecrackers and distributed sweets.

Activists of Congress, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other political parties and non-political groups were seen celebrating the occasion at their respective party offices.

The leaders of TRS, Congress and BJP, who were camping in Delhi for last few days to lobby for the bill, hailed the development as "people's victory". They were seen greeting each other and distributing sweets.

"I was never so happy in my life," said TRS MP K. Keshava Rao. He dedicated the passing of the bill to Telangana martyrs.

TRS activists were dancing in gay abandon and bursting firecrackers at Telangana Bhavan, the party headquarters here.

There were also celebrations at Osmania University, the nerve centre of the Telangana movement in 1969 and also in the recent past. Students gathered on the campus raising slogans of 'Jai Telangana' and greeted each other.

In other parts of Telangana, people came out on streets. Victory processions were taken out in Karimnagar, Medak, Nizamabad, Adilabad and other towns.