Last reviewed 4 Nov 2026 · Facts as of 4 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
1. Why the demand grew
- The safeguards of the Gentlemen's Agreement (1956) were not kept — Mulki rules, jobs, education and use of Telangana's surplus funds.
- Grievances over water (Krishna and Godavari), funds and jobs — summed up in the slogan "Neellu, Nidhulu, Niyamakalu" (water, funds, appointments).
2. First phase — 1969
| Event | Fact |
|---|---|
| Jai Telangana agitation (1969) | Began with students (Khammam, Osmania University); police firing killed many agitators |
| Telangana Praja Samithi | Led by Marri Chenna Reddy; won 10 of 14 Telangana Lok Sabha seats in 1971 |
| Supreme Court, 1972 | Upheld the Mulki rules — which sparked the counter Jai Andhra movement in coastal Andhra |
| Six-Point Formula (1973) | Equal opportunities for all regions instead of Mulki rules |
| Article 371D | Inserted by the 32nd Constitutional Amendment (1973) — local cadres and reservation in jobs and education |
| Presidential Order, 1975 | Implemented 371D (zones, local areas) |
| GO 610 (1985) | Ordered repatriation of non-locals in Telangana posts; its weak implementation became another grievance |
3. Second phase — 2001 to 2014
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) founded on 27 April 2001 by K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) |
| 2009 | KCR's fast unto death (29 November); on 9 December 2009 the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram announced that the process of forming Telangana would begin |
| 2010 | Srikrishna Committee (Justice B. N. Srikrishna) reported with six options |
| 2011 | Million March (10 March) at Tank Bund; Sakala Janula Samme (general strike of all sections, Sept–Oct 2011) |
| 2013 | Congress Working Committee resolution (30 July 2013) for a separate state |
| 2014 | Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 passed in February; Telangana formed on 2 June 2014 as the 29th state; KCR became the first Chief Minister |
- Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) under Prof. M. Kodandaram coordinated parties, employees and students.
- Prof. K. Jayashankar is regarded as the ideologue of the movement.
- Hyderabad was the common capital of both states for up to 10 years (till 2 June 2024).
- 2 June is celebrated as Telangana Formation Day.