Sonia should ask for Rahul's resignation to restore PM's respect: Rajnath Singh

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh on Tuesday asked Congress Party President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to demand her son and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi for his resignation on his controversial remarks made on the cabinet-approved ordinance on convicted lawmakers.

"I would like to politely say this to Sonia Gandhi, that rather than indulging in face-saving of her party because the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not disrespect the Prime Minister, it was Congress Vice-President who disrespected the PM," Singh said at a media conference here.

"And if Sonia Gandhi really has some concern about the respect of the Prime Minister, she should ask the Congress Vice-President to resign or he should apologise to the country," Singh added.

Shifting his attention to the Supreme Court's order on providing voters with an option of right to reject candidate in elections, Singh said that the apex election commission should call for an all-party meeting to discuss this order.

"The Election Commission must immediately take cognizance of the matter and call an all party meeting. This direction of the Supreme Court must be taken into context as a compulsory electoral reform," he said.

After Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi publicly stated that the proposed ordinance for convicted lawmakers was 'nonsense' and urged that it should be 'torn' and 'thrown away', the BJP has severely criticized the ruling party and alleged that the Congress number two disrespected Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Dr. Manmohan Singh, who is currently on his way back to the country after attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, is expected to meet President Pranab Mukherjee in the national capital on October 2 to discuss the proposed ordinance.

Earlier, while addressing a rally in Karnataka on Monday, Sonia Gandhi said that though the BJP "mocks the Prime Minister," it should be aware that Manmohan Singh had the full support of his party.

"They (BJP) make fun of our party, and our Prime Minister. But I would like to say that we are firmly supporting our Prime Minister. We are not afraid of any political party, and not afraid of their attacks. We will continue to work for the people," Gandhi said in Mandya, Karnataka.

Earlier, on Sunday, BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi addressed a massive rally in the national capital-his first as BJP's prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections-and said the country was burdened by "governments within governments", as the sanctity of the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had been hit, after Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi deemed an ordinance passed by the Cabinet as 'nonsense' earlier this week.

"The pride of the Prime Minister has been brought down by his own party. Congress party Vice President has committed the sin of disrespecting the Prime Minister," Modi said.

"The dynasty is strangling democracy," Modi alleged at his rally in New Delhi.