This story is from September 16, 2019

Former Andhra assembly speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao commits suicide

Former assembly speaker and senior TDP leader Dr Kodela Sivaprasada Rao committed suicide by hanging himself at his residence in Telangana's Hyderabad district on Monday.
Former Andhra Pradesh Speaker Kodela Siva Prasad Rao commits suicide
TDP leader Dr Kodela Sivaprsada Rao (File Photo)
HYDERABAD: Former Andhra Pradesh assembly speaker and senior Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Dr Kodela Sivaprasada Rao committed suicide by hanging himself at his residence in Telangana's capital Hyderabad on Monday.
The 72-year-old is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. His family members rushed him to Basava Tarakam super specialty hospital at Jubilee Hills.
Although the doctors made attempts to save him by putting him on ventilator, their efforts failed. The doctors declared Dr Kodela Sivaprasada Rao dead at around 12.30pm.
Dr Kodela’s daughter Dr Punati Vijaylakshmi confirmed that her father committed suicide as he was unable to digest the spate of cases booked by YS Jaganmohan Reddy government. “He had breakfast at around 9am and went on to the first floor. I got suspicion 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,” said a visibly shaken Vijayalakshmi. She said that they rushed him to the hospital with the help of a gunman and the driver.
According to information, Dr Kodela was psychologically upset since the exposure of assembly furniture diversion case recently. Last month, after the assembly officials seized furniture from his son’s automobile showroom in Guntur, Dr Kodela Sivaprasada Rao had allegedly tried to take his life by consuming sleeping pills.
Family members noticed when he fell unconscious and immediately admitted him to hospital. He recovered under the close supervision of cardiologist son-in-law Dr Manohar. Family members kept the issue under wraps by telling the world that he suffered a cardiac arrest. Sources said that Dr Kodela had been under depression for the past several weeks and had not been speaking to anyone.
Dr Kodela had also filed a case in the high court seeking a direction that assembly authorities take the furniture back as they were deliberately foisting cases against him in spite of his readiness to give the stock back.

Several criminal cases mostly by the TDP activists were filed against Dr Kodela, his son Sivaram and daughter Vijayalakshmi after the YSRCP came to power about three months ago. TDP activists in Sattenapalle and Narsaaraopet alleged that Kodela's family members tortured them with false cases for payment of huge amounts even for doing small favours.
Dr Kodela served as home minister in NTR cabinet in 1985. He, however, quit following the murder of Kapu warlord Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga Rao. Subsequently, Dr Kodela Sivaprasada Rao served as major irrigation, panchayathraj and rural development minister in Chandrababu Naidu’s cabinet. He was the first speaker of Andhra Pradesh assembly post bifurcation. Dr Kodela was in the midst of controversies right from the entry into the politics in 1983. He was a six-time legislator. He was defeated in the recent elections from Sattenapalle constituency.
Surprisingly, Dr Kodela could not come out of the depression although all of his family members including son Sivaram, daughter Vijayalakshmi and son-in-law Manohar were medical professionals.
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