Former AP Assembly Speaker Commits Suicide!

Dr. Kodela Shivaprasada Rao, the former assembly speaker and senior leader of Telugu Desam Party, committed suicide by hanging himself at his residence in Hyderabad. He had been suffering from depression, as he was unable to digest cases booked against him by Jagan government, one of them was assembly furniture diversion case. He was rushed to Basava Tarakam super-specialty hospital but doctors could not save him and was declared dead on 12.30 PM.

The 72-year old also tried to commit suicide last month by consuming sleeping pills. Family members noticed when he fell unconscious. He was taken to hospital and was recovering well under the supervision of his son-in-law Dr. Manohar. The family didn’t disclose the details to the world and told that he suffered a heart attack.

He leaves behind his wife, son Sivaram and daughter Vijaylakshmi. Surprisingly, his son and daughter are also doctors, along with his son-in-law, and still, they couldn’t bring him out of depression. Mourning Vijayalakshmi said, “He had breakfast at around 9 am and went on to the first floor. I got suspicious and went to his bedroom when he did not come down for about an hour. I was shocked to see my father hanging from the ceiling”.

Many criminal cases were filed against Kodela after the new government came into power in May this year. Since his entry into politics in 1983, he was amid controversies. During his political career which spanned across four decades, he served as home minister, irrigation minister, panchayath raj and rural development minister.