There were scenes of jubilation outside Parliament today after the passage of the Telangana Bill with pro-Telangana MPs celebrating the creation of India's 29th state by distributing sweets and raising slogans.
Union minister S Jaipal Reddy and MP Hanumantha Rao gathered at the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi's statue, congratulating Congress president Sonia Gandhi for the creation of the new state.
"The credit for this outstanding moment only goes to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and nobody else. BJP can say, we also voted. We all know, how reluctantly, how dividely they voted," Reddy told reporters.
"Sonia Gandhi took tremendous risk, paid tremendous price by endangering her popularity, her base in Seemandhra region," he said.
He said that he was prepared to sit across the table to convince reasonable Seemandhra people how they would gain and not lose on account of this division and other concessions.
Rao, on the other hand, was seen distributing sweets among MPs and waiting mediapersons.
Chants of 'Jai Telangana' were raised from different gates of Parliament as the members emerged from Rajya Sabha.
The historic Telangana Bill was passed by Parliament amid vociferous protests by members from Seemandhra region as also from Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena.
