Congress rejects demand for Manmohan Singh's resignation

Unfazed by the united opposition attack over WikiLeaks reports, Congress today dismissed demands for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation, accusing its detractors of indulging in "irresponsible" politics and "destabilising" the country.

Hailing Singh as a "spotless prime minister", party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the reports on US diplomatic cables were "unverified leaks without any corroborative authentication" and "outlandish allegations not worth dignifying with a response".

He also attacked The Hindu newspaper, which is publishing reports based on US diplomatic cables released by whistleblower website WikiLeaks and said that his party was aware of its "legal rights" and has not closed the option to deal with the situation.

"It is irresponsible politics and it is irresponsible journalism," he said, adding that as far as the question of bringing a privilege motion or filing a defamation suit is concerned, all our legal rights are open.

"All political or other ways are open.... We are not giving clean chit to anybody," was his response when asked whether his party would file a defamation suit against the newspaper.

Singhvi maintained that "the law is not that you make an outlandish allegation and if I do not file defamation, you are correct" and rued "somebody chose to publish it as if it was gospel truth."

Singhvi said those who think that their political ratings will go up by raising such issues or those thinking that their circulation will shoot up by publishing such news should remember that UPA won in 2009 Lok Sabha elections despite "such wild allegations" levelled against it in 2007-08 as well.

Questioning NDA's "temerity" to pass a resolution seeking prime minister's resignation on the issue, Singhvi said, "People who dream of replacing the prime minister" have remained "Prime Minister in Waiting" for long.

He lambasted the BJP for "firing from the hip" without "understanding what democracy is all about and destablising the country.

"There is not an iota of proof directly or indirectly... it is an outlandish allegation not worth dignifying with a response...there are enormous factual inconsistencies in the report," he said.