Indian state chief minister begins hunger strike

NEW DELHI, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu, on Friday began a day-long hunger strike to demand special status for the southern Indian state.

Apart from Naidu, who is also the head of regional Telugu Desam Party, his ministers and party lawmakers and more than 100,000 people joined the 12-hour fast on a sprawling ground in front of an university in Amaravati city.

His Telegu Desam Party last month pulled out of India's ruling coalition led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), over the central government's "indifferent attitude" toward Andhra Pradesh.

Naidu has been furious over the Indian government's refusal to grant the state "special status" as promised after Telangana was carved out of it in 2014, given Andhra Pradesh is to go to polls next year and opposition parties are upping the ante against the "deprivation."

Earlier this week, a people's forum backed by the state's opposition parties observed a day-long shutdown to demand for special status for Andhra Pradesh. However, Telegu Desam Party did not join the fast, citing inconvenience to people. Enditem