TDP MPs have been protesting outside the Parliament for some time now, demanding the grant of Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh. N. Sivaprasad, MP from Chittoor, has stood out from the rest by adding a bit of drama to the protests.
So, while the TDP has been agitating both inside and outside Parliament since the union budget was announced on February 1, claiming that none of the State’s demands were met, Mr. Sivaprasad has been there right along with the rest of them, trying out various getups. From carrying earthen pots full of water into the Parliament to dressing up like a fisherman and a maulvi, the MP has done it all.
Here is a look back at this unique form of protest.
Mr. Sivaprasad began taking the 'costume' route to protest as early as February 6 and his 'acts' lasted till the TDP MPs quit the Union Cabinet.
Here is the TDP MP dressed as a street singer on February 8. His colourful costumes meant he would go on to become a photographer's delight on the Parliament sidelines.
Mr. Sivaprasad on February 9.
The Parliament took a break in between the budget session. Once it was back, so was Mr. Sivaprasad. On March 7, he came in a farmer's attire, carrying water and mud in earthen pots tied to a stick into the Parliament.
Mr. Sivaprasad seen in this March 9 photograph dressed as a street astrologer. Just two days before this, TDP announced that its Ministers would be quitting the Union Cabinet.
Here, in this March 12 photograph, the TDP MP presents himself as a ‘nadaswaram’ player.
The Chittoor MP kept it simple on March 13, wearing a mask of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Mr. Sivaprasad seen dressed as a Christian priest in this March 14 photo.
He dressed as a 'maulvi' the next day.
Mr. Sivaprasad seen in the getup of a fisherman on March 16, the day his party decided to quit the NDA completely.
Here Mr. Sivaprasad is dressed as "Brihannala", taking a reference from Arjuna's disguise in Mahabharata, outside the Parliament on March 19.
The next day, Mr. Sivaprasad came dressed as a 'school boy.'