From tantrik to Krishna, Naramalli Siva Prasad's unique style of protest

Dressed for the occasion

Telugu Desam Party MP Naramalli Siva Prasad has developed a unique style of protesting in Parliament. On Monday, the Chittoor MP came dressed as Krishna to protest the central government's denial of special status to Andhra Pradesh. On an earlier occasion, he was seen chanting mantras, dressed as a tantrik. In 2016 Siva Prasad had appeared dressed as a burra katha (traditional storyteller) performer with a veena in his hand, during a protest meet in Tirupati against the “woes” of people following the Centre's demonitisation move. Later that year, he turned up in Parliament wearing a shirt with pictures of wailing farmers on one side and rich businessmen on the other to highlight the need for farm loan waiver.

 
From liquor to honey
 

According to the Bihar economic survey tabled recently, the consumption of honey and cheese has shot up in the state after anti-liquor laws came into being in 2016. What's better, people of the state are stated to be saving Rs 52 billion a year by not consuming liquor. The survey also said the sale of things that point to an improved lifestyle — such as clothes, processed food, plastic goods and some other household items — has grown. “These figures further indicate the gains of prohibition in Bihar,” the survey said. Some economists have expressed doubts. “There is no correlation between the two — not drinking and saving money,” said one, and asserted the need for “scientific investigation”.

 
Snake and mole story
 
They say politics makes strange bedfellows. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath sees a mole and a snake. Reacting to the announcement by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) that it would support Samajwadi Party (SP) candidates in the March 11 bypolls to Phulpur and Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seats, Adityanath said on Monday that the development was like the coming together of a snake and a mole. The Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats were vacated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya after the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections last year.