New Delhi: Assailing Prime Minister's "silence" on Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) status report and Supreme Court's strictures on the Bilkis Bano gang rape case in Gujarat, Congress today (Feb 26, 2004) sought an explanation from Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the issue as also resignation of Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

"Vajpayee's silence on the CBI reports and strictures of Supreme Court on the goings-on in Gujarat is an unmistakable indication of his endless double speak. Vajpayee, who in an unprecedented gesture attended the swearing-in ceremony of Modi, owes an explanation to the nation and ask Modi to resign," party spokesman S Jaipal Reddy told reporters in New Delhi.

Recalling the Prime Minister's flip-flops on the question of minorities, he said during election time, Vajpayee "dusts off his mukhota and begins to don it".

"He was gleefully wearing a green turban yesterday at the National Convention of BJP's (Bharatiya Janata Party's) Minority Morcha, though people remember the gratuitous way in which he condemned the colour 'green' at a meeting by identifying the colour with Muslims," Reddy said.

Raising strong objections to such speeches, he said Vajpayee had declared at an election rally at the time of Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls that the BJP would be able to win without Muslim votes.