TDP MP Sivaprasad stages protest over budget

Actor, director and a Nandi Award winner TDP MP Naramalli Sivaprasad today put to display his artistic skills in the Parliament complex as he expressed his disappointment with budget proposals through a 'tantrik' protest.
Holding a whip and joined by his party MPs, Sivaprasad was seen wearing a wig and eccentrically chanting hymns to convey his party's displeasure to the government for failing to fulfill the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act.
"We are fighting for what we deserve for the state and that is also what the Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu wants," the MP told PTI.
"They (Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP) are breaking the promises they made to the Tirupati Venkateshwara Swamy and Vijayawada Kanakadurgamma. I am just telling them to be careful through this protest," he said.

Sivaprasad had last year dressed himself like Dr B R Ambedkar carrying the Constitution to demand special status for the state.
Prasad, who has acted in over 20 Tollywood movies, has also won a Nandi Award for playing a wily politician in the movie 'Danger' in 2005.

He had also tried his hands at direction.
TDP MPs have conveyed their unhappiness to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley following his speech in the Lok Sabha yesterday in which he had offered assurances to Andhra Pradesh.
They believe that the Centre has not proposed anything concrete for the state so far and mere promises will not help the regional party as it gears up to face the assembly polls next year along with the Lok Sabha election.

Ever since Jaitley presented the Budget on Feb 1, the party has been protesting in and outside Parliament to register its protests.
The budget, it said, has ignorted interests of Andhra Pradesh.
Union Minister Y S Chowdary has also demanded an explanation from the finance minister within 15 days, and a day before TDP MP from Guntur Jayadev Galla in his speech said the box-office collections for blockbuster 'Baahubali' were more than the funds provided by the Centre to Andhra Pradesh.