Surprised PM to deal with Rahul's criticism on return

PM's aides refrain from making any public comments

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was apparently taken by surprise by Rahul Gandhi's attack on the ordinance on lawmakers but "will deal with the matter" only on his return to India next week.

The Congress Vice President's blunt denunciation of the controversial ordinance that seeks to negate the Supreme Court verdict immediately disqualifying convicted MPs and MLAs as "complete nonsense" happened in New Delhi while the prime minister was sleeping in his suite in the Four Seasons Hotel here.

Singh's aides were woken up by the media seeking reaction to Rahul's attack including the comment that the government decision on the ordinance, which is now before President Pranab Mukherjee, was "wrong".

No immediate reaction was forthcoming but PMO sources said Singh would "deal with the matter" only on his return to New Delhi on Oct 1.

The PM's aides, who were preparing for Singh's meeting with President Barack Obama later in the day, went into a huddle but refrained from making any public comments.