Keeping Congress on tenterhooks ontheir strategy during the crucial FDI vote tomorrow, eightparty MPs from Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh todayboycotted a meeting called by party floor leaders inParliament to seek their assurances on participation in thedebate.
The MPs, who have been openly protesting against theCongress and the UPA Government on the non-decision overcontentious Telangana statehood demand, also kept the questionof skipping the vote tomorrow open saying a decision on thiswould be taken only tomorrow.
The meeting was called by Home Minister and Leader of LokSabha Sushilkumar Shinde and Parliamentary Affairs MinisterKamal Nath to seek their assurances on their vote in favour ofthe government.
However, only two Union Ministers S Jaipal Reddy,Sarvey Satyanarayana and Balram Naik attended the meetingthis morning.
"We boycotted the meeting.We did not want to go,"Karimnagar MP Ponnam Prabhakar told PTI.
His colleague and Nizamabad MP Madhu Goud Yaskhi alsospoke in a similar vein when he said they decided unanimouslyto boycott the meeting called by party leaders.
The meeting was called today after Prabhakar hadindicated yesterday that they could abstain themselves fromthe vote in protest against the Centres delay in announcingthe formation of a state.
On whether they would participate in the debate today andvote tomorrow, the two MPs were evasive, saying, "it will bedecided tomorrow."
The Congress has also issued a three-line whip asking itsMPs to be present in Parliament and vote in favour of theGovernment.
If the Telangana MPs abstain from voting, they riskfacing action from the party.