Telangana Formation Day: History, significance and more about India’s youngest state

Today is Telangana’s 8th foundation day. Telangana was carved out of erstwhile unified Andhra Pradesh on June 2, 2014, after a massive people's movement that lasted several decades. 

In 2014, it was formed as India’s 29th state but at present, it is the 28th state as Jammu and Kashmir was made UT in 2019.   

The Centre will for the first time organise Telangana Formation Day celebrations in Delhi on Wednesday and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be the chief guest at the event.

History

Telangana was merged with Andhra on November 1, 1956, by carving it out of erstwhile Madras to form a united state for the Telugu-speaking population.

The political leaders from the region accused Andhra Pradesh of colonising the area by grabbing their jobs and lands. They also alleged that the Andhra government has been ignoring the region and had not been investing in developing infrastructure.  

Significance

The formation of Telangana signifies the victory of the Telangana Movement which forced the bifurcation of then united Andhra Pradesh. A movement that gathered pace in the last 57 years bore fruit on June 2, 2014, fulfilling the aspirations of the people of the Telangana region.

READ | #SwedenGate sparks meme fest on Twitter, here's the story behind the viral hashtag