Miffed over budget allocation for Andhra, TDP MLA Bode Prasad gets head tonsured

NEW DELHI: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has been protesting against the 'unfair' allotment of funds by the Central government for Andhra Pradesh in Union Budget 2018. Keeping up its attack on the Narendra Modi government, TDP MLA Bode Prasad on Thursday got his head tonsured to express his resentment.

Protests by members of the NDA ally even did not let the Lok Sabha function. The proceedings in the Lok Sabha were marred even when government termed their demands as "very sensitive" and gave an assurance that they will look into it.

The House was briefly adjourned twice in a short period of time in the late afternoon amid continuous protest by members of TDP and the YSR Congress.

The ties between the TDP and ruling BJP have been strained over the Union Budget not offering any special benefits to Andhra Pradesh. The TDP had last week held its Parliamentary Board meeting in Amaravati where it discussed whether they should snap ties with its ally at the Centre. The decision, however, was put on hold with the TDP claiming that it will continue to press for its demands.

"During the meeting Budget and fund allocations to Andhra Pradesh were discussed. We will continue pressuring the Centre for it. We will also raise the matter in Parliament, if needed," Andhra Minister YS Chowdary had said after the meeting.

The TDP is BJP's biggest ally in the South. The two parties had fought the 2014 elections in an alliance where the TDP had emerged as the second largest party in the NDA in terms of seats won. 

After Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced the Budget on February 1, several TDP leaders had suggested that the party should break away from the alliance.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had reportedly expressed "serious displeasure" over the budget and had said that the Centre ignored the state. "Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad got a substantial allocation for various projects but none of our projects, including the Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam Metro rail, got anything," he was quoted to have said at the meeting.