Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party(TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat on Monday, ahead of his day-long protest.
Naidu, along with his supporters, sported black shirts as a mark of protest while visiting Rajghat.
He is observing a day-long dharna here today against the central government over the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh.
Termed 'Dharma Porata Deeksha' (a day-long protest for justice), the strike is being held at the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan here. It is expected to go on till around 8 PM.
The TDP chief will sit on a hunger strike along with his ministers, party MLAs, MLCs, and MPs. As per an official statement, he will be submitting a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday.
In October 2013, Naidu had staged an indefinite fast at the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan here, demanding that if a separate state is carved out of then unified Andhra Pradesh, both should get equal rights. On the fifth day of his protest, he was forcibly shifted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital after his health deteriorated.
He had also observed a fast in Vijayawada in April last year demanding special status for the state.
The TDP had pulled out of the NDA last year over the Centre's refusal to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh.
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