Telangana agitation is inseparable from Telangana students. After the announcement of hunger strike by KCR the students kept a keen watch on the political changes.
- Meetings, conferences, seminars were conducted by the students and employees to raise awareness about the exploitative nature of Andhra rule and injustices suffered by Telangana society. In a meeting held on 22nd November 2009 at Kakatiya University KCR stressed the need and role of students in the movement.
- He added that it was a historical necessity. He went on to say that there was no looking back on achieving statehood and it was a fight to finish. In his unique style he roared “the choice before you is either the Telangana victory procession or KCR’s funeral procession”. His speech further hardened the resolve of the students and galvanized them for agitation to achieve statehood.
- As the Osmania University is in the midst of the Hyderabad City, the influences of the state’s politics is more in the campus of the Osmania University than in the other universities. Also, students from all the comers of Telangana come to Osmania University to study. Besides the Telangana Agitation, the students of the Osmania University took part in all the agitations that had taken place in the nation. The students of Osmania University have a long history of launching agitations and movements. However, owing to a ban on elections in the 1980s the university campus fell silent and there was lull all over the campus. Added to it the impact of globalization was felt on the education field and academic activity too.
- Students were more focused on employment opportunities after finishing the academic courses. Notwithstanding the reality, KCR’s hunger strike announcement changed the scenario. Students once again recalled the violation of safeguards and injustices done to Telangana and attributed the misery caused due to it to the Andhra leadership and felt that statehood was the only solution. Sinking their ideological differences they forged a strong unity and announced their support to the hunger strike in a meeting held on 13th November 2009. On the night of 2gth November 2009, just a few hours before KCR was to commence the indefinite hunger strike, the students of Osmania University conducted a huge candle light rally in the campus.