Quit demand shows desperation of BJP, says Khurshid

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Friday said the suggestion that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should quit in the wake of the controversial ordinance highlights the "desperation of the BJP".

Speaking in the US where Prime Minister Manmohan Gandhi has arrived for a summit meeting with President Barack Obama, Khurshid said: "It shows the desperation of the BJP, they want somebody to quit."

His comments came as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that "heads should roll" in the wake of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi terming the ordinance that seeks to protect convicted lawmakers as "complete nonsense" and one that, in his personal opinion, should be "torn up and thrown away".

Sanjaya Baru, former press advisor to the prime minister, also said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should quit in the wake of the remarks as it undermined the position and power of the prime minister.

Khurshid said "there wasn't great excitement in doing what we did", referring to the ordinance that has gone to President Pranab Mukherjee for his assent.

Asked by CNN-IBN channel if Rahul Gandhi's comments were aimed to undermine the position of the prime minister, Khurshid said: "I think not."

He went on to explain about the US system where President Obama put before the Congress his proposal to carry out a strike on Syria and it got voted out.