Hyderabad:
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao arrived in Hyderabad from Delhi on Wednesday to a hero's welcome by thousands of his supporters celebrating formation of separate Telangana state.
After landing at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamsabad on city outskirts after 4 p.m., the TRS leader left for the old airport at Begumpet in a helicopter.
KCR, as he is popular among his supporters, left in a massive victory procession to Telangana martyrs' memorial Gun Park near assembly.
Amid beating of drums, playing of songs and slogans, thousands of people including women holding Bathukamma or flower stacks and party activists clad in traditional Telangana attire welcomed KCR, who flashed victory sign as he emerged from Begumpet Airport.
Standing on a specially designed vehicle and flanked by senior party leaders, KCR greeted the supporters with folded hands.
Camels, horses and cultural artists from different parts of Telangana formed part of the arrangements at Begumpet to welcome KCR.
TRS painted the city pink, the colour of its flag. Huge cut-outs of KCR, hoardings, party flags, banners and other graffiti adorned the traffic intersections and the road from Begumpet Airport to Gun Park.
The procession brought the busy areas in the city to a halt as police imposed traffic restrictions on roads joining the seven-km long procession route.
Thousands of TRS workers from Hyderabad and nine other districts of Telangana turned out to welcome KCR, who returned after nearly a month-long stay in Delhi to mobilize support for Telangana bill.
The bill for formation of separate Telangana state was passed by both houses of parliament last week.
Before leaving for Delhi last month, KCR had said he was leaving from Andhra Pradesh but would return in Telangana state.
KCR had floated TRS in 2001 to revive the movement for separate statehood to Telangana. He went on indefinite fast in 2009, forcing the central government to announce that the process for formation of Telangana state would be initiated. The protests in Seemandhra forced the centre decided to hold consultations with all stakeholders.