On board Prime Minister’s special aircraft, October 18
A combative Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tonight dismissed BJP demand for his resignation in the wake of the setback to the Indo-US nuke deal and launched a blistering counter-attack on the saffron party saying during its rule the Gujarat “holocaust” had taken place, the Agra Indo-Pak summit ended in a fiasco and the BJP-led government was “sleeping” when Pakistanis intruded into Kargil.

As far as the controversial deal itself, Singh said he had not given up hope and that a way out of the difficulties facing the pact had to be found.

The Prime Minister, who was talking to journalists on board his special flight on his way back from South Africa, reacted with uncharacterstic bluntness while anwsering a question about BJP's contention that he had lost the “moral right” to govern and he should quit following the “failure” of the deal.

BJP leaders had targeted the Prime Minister after the nuke deal was virtually put on hold with L.K Advani even saying Singh was the “weakest Prime Minister” India has had while demanding an “explanation” for the “three-month paralysis” of the government.

“Well, the BJP of all the parties is least qualified to talk about the moral right to govern,” Singh said.

“I have mentioned that there are some difficulties. We are working in a coalition. We have to find a way out and I have not given up hope,” he said.

Asked about the US state department’s comment that the nuclear deal should be completed before 2008 end and whether he was hopeful about it, Singh said “well, I think we will make every effort.”

Meanwhile, while addressing a public meeting in Mumbai, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said Left would not compromise on the issue of Indo-US nuclear deal. He said the deal would hurt India in every sphere of life.

Karat, however, said the Left would continue to support UPA government as long as it followed the Common Minimum Programme. — PTI

New Delhi, October 18
With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh indicating that he had not given up hopes on the nuclear deal, US Ambassador to India David Mulford today met foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon here to discuss the fate of the agreement.

Mulford is understood to have conveyed the US displeasure over uncertainty that has come to surround the crucial initiative between the two countries.

At his third meeting in four days with leaders and officials here, the US envoy is believed to have sought to know what the government is planning to do to push the deal that is being vigorously opposed by the ruling coalition’s Left allies.

The meeting came a day after Singh said the “process of evolving a meaningful consensus” on the deal is still on, indicating that he had still not lost hope on it. The comment came less than a week after Singh said that failure of the deal would not be “the end of life” and that his was “not a one-issue government”. — PTI