‘PM must listen to conscience, resign’

Mounting pressure on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi slammed the government’s ordinance on convicted lagislators, the BJP on Saturday demand that Dr Singh should “hear the voice of his conscience” and resign immediately on his return from abroad. Samajwadi Party said Mr Gandhi’s “outburst” against the Ordinance reflected his “no confidence” against the Manmohan Singh led government and therefore, Dr Singh should immediately return back from the US and hold talk with the Congress leadership. Accusing Mr Gandhi of “crossing limits of civility” in attacking the Ordinance, the main Opposition also said that his “intervention is designed to create discomfort to the President”. “If the Prime Minister accepts my request to hear the voice of his conscience, the moment he lands in Delhi he should head to the Rashtrapati Bhawan to tender his resignation,” senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said. Asking Congress leaders, who had criticised BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi after he spoke against the Prime Minister in his August 15 speech, as why were they not reacting when the PM was openly criticised while being abroad. The party maintained that though Dr Singh had been criticised many times “but never before has he been insulted like this.” Appealing to the PM to “listen to his conscience and quit,” the BJP leader said “Dr Manmohan Singh, come on. Do you have any conscience left Because the issue is not of Dr Manmohan Singh, the issue is that of the integrity of the office of Prime Minister of the country.” Citing the then Prime Minister Rajiv’s public rebuke of foreign secretary A.P. Venkateswaran, he said “if the conscience of a self-respecting foreign secretary can awaken, let’s see if the Prime Minister’s conscience awakens.” Mr Prasad said that under the Constitution, the President acts on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers and questioned the kind of advice given by the ministers to him. “This whole intervention in some way is designed to create a position of discomfort even to the President of India,” he alleged. The BJP leader also accused the Congress V-P of “crossing the limits of civility” and sought to know Dr Singh’s response to the outburst against his government. “Mr Rahul Gandhi has the audacity to call the decision taken by the Cabinet headed by you as utter nonsence. Crossing the limits of civility. Dr Manmohan Singh, what is you stand We would like to know. It is not a question of Dr Manmohan Singh simply. The issue impinges upon the integrity and respect of the office of Prime Minister,” he said. The BJP leader said his party has criticised the Prime Minister many times on the issue of corruption in his government but “we never crossed the limits of civility while attacking you”. He said Mr Gandhi has termed the ordinance as “nonsense” even when BJP has never done so despite being his biggest critic.