A political witchhunt, marked by humiliating police cases and investigations, led to depression and consequential suicide of TDP senior leader Kodela Sivaprasada Rao on Sept 16, 2019. Especially, caste-based and family-driven personal attacks demotivated the popular leader in Palnadu region. He faced an unrelenting, unsparing and degraded political attack that no other senior politician confronted in the recent past.

Now, duly remembering good old days, TDP National President N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday paid his tributes to former Assembly Speaker late Dr Kodela Sivaprasada Rao on the occasion of his birthday celebrations. Naidu described Dr Sivaprasada Rao as a bold and selfless leader who fought for the rights of poorer sections. His selfless services made him widely known as a ‘rupayi doctor’. After seeing his public service only, NTR brought Dr Sivaprasada Rao into politics.

It was unfortunate that such a popular leader became a target of YSRCP vicious politics. Chandrababu Naidu said that over 19 politically motivated false cases were filed against Dr Sivaprasada Rao and his family members which eventually destroyed his morale and abetted his suicide. Rupayi doctor’s suicide was a clear example of YSRCP’s callous and savage politics.