demonstrations, strikes and fasts including fasts unto death. Massive demonstrations of tens of thousands of people took place and many of them were subjected to police repression including firing on demonstrators. According to the official records, three hundred and seventy people, mostly students, lost their lives during the agriculture

Around the same time, several leaders from Telangana came together to form a forum called Telangana Praja Samiti to work for the formation of a separate state, later it took the shape of a new political party. The central government held long talks and came up with an Eight Point Plan which basically consisted of setting up several committees. Even though this did not satisfy most people, the agitation receded for the time being.

In response to the Telangana agitation, a counter movement started in 1972 in the Seemandhra regions called “Jai Andhra Movement” demanding not only greater development of the coastal districts but also the removal of Mulki rules relating to domicile status. Here too, the students formed the main part of the agitation as they felt that their employment opportunities were being threatened. A six point formula was formulated by the Central Government in 1973, assuring all the regions that priority in government employment would be given to local people, educational opportunities would be expanded in all areas, a Central University would be set up in Hyderabad etc. At the same time, the Mulki rules and the Regional Committee for Telangana were dropped. In this way, Telangana lost its distinct identity as promised in the ‘Gentlemen’s Agreement’. All areas of the state of Andhra Pradesh were treated as one.

Around this time, a new wave of political activity started against repeated intervention of Central Government and central leadership of the ruling congress party. This led to the formation of Telugu Desam Party and the regional agitations subsided for the moment.