KCR receives T cheers

Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K. Chandrasekhar Rao was accorded a rousing pink welcome when he returned to Hyderabad from New Delhi on Wednesday after achieving the goal of Telangana.

Mr Rao, who was taken in a colourful 7-km rally from Begumpet airport to Gun Park, offered floral tributes to the Martyrs’ Memorial amidst slogans of “Jai Telangana” and “KCR zindabad”. A visibly elated Mr Rao greeted the huge crowds throughout the journey with “namaste” and victory signs.

There was a sea of humanity at Gun Park where Mr Rao and other party leaders, including his son K.T. Rama Rao, Dr Kesava Rao, Nayani Narasimha Reddy, MLAs, party leaders and others were present.

Mr Rao was received by the kin of martyrs and immediately rushed to Telangana Bhavan where he paid floral tributes to Talli Telangana. It took nearly five hours (5 pm to 9 pm) for him to reach Gun Park from Begumpet airport.

Mr Rao, who arrived at RGIA at Shamshabad on Wednesday afternoon, took a flight to the Begumpet Airport at around 5 pm. Mr Rao, along with party secretary general, Dr K. Kesava Rao, politburo member Mr Narasimha Reddy, Mr G. Vivekananda and other party leaders, boarded the specially decorated pink “Vijaya Ratham” vehicle as thousands of party workers accompanied them to Gun Park.

While TRS leaders claimed lakhs turned out at the rally, police estimated that there were around 50,000 people including the congregation at the Begumpet airport and at Gun Park.

There were also hordes of camels, horses, Bathukamma dancers and musicians along the route. Besides huge cutouts of Mr Rao, banners proclaiming him as “Telangana Gandhi” and “architect of Telangana” were also seen. A large cutout of Mr Rao donning the role of Arjuna was particularly popular. Interestingly, several party workers displayed placards opposing the merger of TRS with the Congress.

Meanwhile, traffic went haywire as police disallowed vehicles on the rally route.