Bengaluru: Rebels Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh, who are camping in Bengaluru, issued a video message on Wednesday, refusing to meet former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh and other Congress leaders who have come down to meet them.

The rebels have reiterated that they were there out of their own choice.

“Have come to Bengaluru on our own. For the past one year, no work has been done. We have come here on our own. Request Digvijaya Singh and other leaders that they go back because we don’t want to meet them,” the MLAs said in the video message.

The rebels have said that they have tried to talk about their grievances to the Congress top leaders over the last one year and nobody paid heed.

One more rebel held Digvijay Singh responsible for the downfall of Congress and said: “We left, we ran way, because of Digvijaya Singh. Leaders like him ruined the Congress. I appeal to Bengaluru Police for protection. We don’t want to meet Digvijaya Singh,” Imarti Devi, who was sacked as Minister of Women and Child Development following her rebellion said.  

Sources say that the rebel MLAs issued the video message to Digvijaya Singh after he was detained by the Bengaluru Police on Wednesday morning.

Twenty-two Congress MLAs have resigned from the Assembly, while the resignation of six has been accepted by the Speaker.

Earlier, after being taken into preventive custody, Digvijaya Singh announced that he will start hunger strike as he was denied a meeting with the MLAs.

The majority mark in the Assembly is now 112 after six MLAs’ resignation was accepted on Saturday. The BJP has 107 seats and the Congress has 108, including the 16 whose resignations have yet to be accepted.

The BJP has gone to the Supreme Court asking for an immediate floor test.

The governor, Lalji Tandon, has twice asked Chief Minister Kamal Nath to prove his majority but the Congress accuses him of “pre-determining” that the party is already in a minority.