New Delhi, February 9: A Telugu Desam Party MP on Friday adopted a unique way by dressing up as tantrik (occultist) to demand special status for Andhra Pradesh. TDP MP Sivaprasad was seen protesting with his fellow MPs at Mahatma Gandhi statue outside Parliament.
Sivaprasad told News18, “The party (BJP) is already playing with the god. We are suggesting him (Narendra Modi) not to play with the gods. In the presence of gods, he promises so many things and he has forgotten it. So, we are cautioning him. The god came to me and told me to inform Modi to be careful.” (Also read: Unhappy Over Funds Allocated to Andhra Pradesh, TDP MLA Gets Head Tonsured)
Even YSR Congress MPs joined the protest demanding special status for the southern state. (Also read: Just Rs 1,800 Crore, Andhra Received Less Than Baahubali Collection in Budget 2018: TDP)
On the last day of the first half of the Budget session, the Lok Sabha was adjourned minutes after it was convened following protests from TDP members over the issue of budgetary allocation for Andhra Pradesh.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan straightway took up the Question Hour as the proceedings commenced. Soon members of the TDP crowded the Well raising slogans.
“This cannot happen everyday,” the Speaker told the protesting members.
However, they did not relent following which the Speaker adjourned the House till noon.
TDP members say the Union Budget has nothing for the state and have been protesting over it.
The NDA ally had made it clear that it will continue its protest until its demand of special category status to Andhra Pradesh is accorded at the earliest. TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu had directed the TDP MPs to continue the din in Parliament “even if you get suspended”.
The protest continued even as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had on Thursday assured the agitating members that the Centre is looking at all issues concerning the state sympathetically and some decision on a special package and revenue deficit will be worked out in the next couple of days.
With inputs from PTI