Congress leaders from Telangana on Saturday night plunged headlong into celebrating the formation of Telangana State.
Gandhi Bhavan, the party headquarters for Telangana, was illuminated with colourful lights to mark the historic occasion. All District Congress Committees in the region were asked to organise fitting celebrations to usher in the new State.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Ponnala Lakshmaiah and working president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy led the celebrations at the party headquarters as the enthusiastic cadre burst crackers and danced in gay abandon. Cultural programmes were organised in a big way. Former PCC chief M. Satyanarayana Rao, Rajya Sabha member V. Hanumantha Rao, former MP Anjan Kumar Yadav and MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy and other seniors attended the fete.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Lakshmaiah said the six-decade long dream of the people had been fulfilled. Regardless of whether the Congress won the elections or lost it, the credit for the creation of Telangana goes to AICC president Sonia Gandhi alone, he said.
He said the sacrifice of the martyrs’ could not be forgotten by the people of the region. Mr. Lakshmaiah urged political parties to shun rivalry and plunge wholeheartedly into the all-round development of the new State. He hoped that the development in Telangana would be a model for others.
Later, the TPCC chief led a torch rally from Gandhi Bhavan to Gun Park in front of the Assembly to pay homage to the martyrs. Placards carrying pictures of Sonia Gandhi were also displayed by party workers.
Under the aegis of the Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Yatra Commemoration Committee, Rajya Sabha member Rapolu Anand Bhaskar and former PCC general secretary G. Niranjan organised celebrations at Charminar. Mr. Bhaskar administered a pledge to the gathering.
