Another man ends life over delay in Andhra's special status

Upset over the delay in Andhra Pradesh getting special status, a man committed suicide in the state's Nellore town on Thursday.

Ramishetti Laksmaiah, 55, hanged himself at his house in Nellore town in south coastal Andhra, police said.

He left behind a suicide note, in which he wrote that he is taking the extreme step due to the delay by the central government in granting special status to the state.

Beginning with the slogan of "Jai Andhra.. Jai Jai Andhra", he wrote that the state should develop and the problem of unemployment should be solved.

Nellore MP M. Rajmohan Reddy and some state legislators visited the house of Lakshmaiah.

He is the second man to commit suicide over the issue of special status.

A Congress worker had immolated himself in Tirupati on Aug 8 during a rally organized by the party to demand the central government immediately accord special status to Andhra.

Following the incident, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had appealed to people not to be driven by emotion or resort to any extreme step.

Naidu called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday in New Delhi to seek special status for the revenue-deficit state. He had also urged the central government to fulfill all commitments made in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.