Rejecting the BJP’s demand for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s resignation, the Government today said “there is no basis” to it and sought dialogue to find “convergence” on all issues raised by them.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath also alleged that the BJP was using “diversionary politics by trying to draw the attention away from core issues.”

“In the last nine years, the BJP has demanded the Prime Minister’s resignation many, many times. And there is no basis to this. The BJP is using diversionary politics by trying to draw the attention away from the core issue,” Nath said.

The Minister’s statement came after the BJP intensified its attack on the Government over the coal block allocation scam and demanded the resignation of Manmohan Singh and sacking of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar.

The BJP Parliamentary Party, which met here under the chairmanship of L. K. Advani, passed a resolution in this regard and charged the Government with suppressing the truth from coming out in the coal scam.

“Parliamentary democracy entails debate, discussion and that has to happen on the floor of the House. It can’t happen on the street. So, I believe that by dialogue, we can find convergence on all issues. That will be my effort to ensure that we have convergence,” Nath told presspersons outside Parliament House.

Meanwhile, senior CPI leader and Lok Sabha MP Gurudas Dasgupta supported the BJP’s demand for Singh’s resignation, saying, “the Prime Minister is guilty of dereliction of duty on a number of counts.” “There are reasons for demanding his resignation. I firmly believe that the Prime Minister is guilty of dereliction of duty on a number of accounts. He has not been doing his job. He has failed to keep his commitment to the country,” he charged.

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