Why did the Telangana statehood movement grow during the late 1960s?

The Telangana statehood movement gained momentum in the late 1960s due to growing public frustration over persistent regional disparities. When Telangana was merged with Andhra state to form Andhra Pradesh in 1956, a regional committee was established to ensure the interests of the Telangana region were protected, as it was considered economically and educationally less advanced than the coastal areas of the state.12

Over time, it became widely believed among the people of Telangana that these socioeconomic gaps were not improving. This perception that the region was consistently lagging behind the coastal areas fueled public agitation and demands for a separate state. The movement was initially spearheaded by the Telangana Praja Samithi (Telangana People’s Committee), though it was eventually suppressed by the government in late 1969.12