Hyderabad,  Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan led the state in lighting the lamps and candles Sunday night in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call as a mark of solidarity in the fight against covid-19.

As the clock struck nine, Chandrashekhar Rao came out on the lawns on Pragati Bhavan, the official residence of the Chief Minister and held a lit candle in his hands for nine minutes. His cabinet colleagues and senior officials too were holding the candles.

KCR, as Rao is popularly known, had backed Modi's call to switch off all electrical lights of the houses and light a candle, 'diya' or just turn on mobile phone's flashlight to mark India's fight against coronavirus.

As a symbol of the united fight against the spread of coronavirus, the Chief Minister joined the programme with Health Minister Etela Rajender, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, DGP M. Mahender Reddy and others.

The Governor lit a lamp at Raj Bhavan after all electrical lights were switched off at the official residence. In her remarks on the occasion, she said the Prime Minister's call united 130 crore people of India in the fight against coronavirus. "Light has the power. There is a scientific effort in this," she said hoping that India would emerge victorious in the fight against the pandemic.

Leaders of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), civil and police officials, celebrities and prominent people from various walks of life participated in the programme.

People switched off the lights of their homes and came out at the entrance or in the balconies to light 'diyas', candles or switch on the flashlight of their mobile phones. Some people even burst firecrackers to mark the occasion.