New Delhi:
They have tried everything - from boycotting Parliament, to threatening to resign, to even making tearful pleas. But having achieved little success, Congress MPs from Telengana are now trying something new. Five of them are spending the night on the steps of the main gate of Parliament. They have spent the entire day and in all, intend to stay put for 48 hours.
"We are confident that the party command will listen to us," said G MP Vivekanand.
Through the day, as they sat with placards demanding statehood for Telengana, they received queries from other MPs. 'Harsimrat Badal, Supriya Sule, they were all concerned,' Mr Vivekanand added.
And while they said it wasn't a hunger strike but just a dharna, MP Manda Jagannath told NDTV, they hadn't had anything to eat. "It is a very serious matter for us - matter of life and death. We only hope the government realises that," he said.
When asked to comment, Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit said the party was committed to the cause of Telengana but had to keep the law and order situation in mind before announcing any decision.
The Congress, which is firefighting on many counts, may not treat Telengana as top priority, but for the five MPs seen dragging mattresses to Parliament, this wasn't an issue to sleep on any longer.