Tuesday, July 12 2005 10:28 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Congress yesterday (July 11, 2005) hit back at BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) for targeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for allegedly "praising" British rule in India and asked the saffron party leaders to do their homework properly before making any such accusations.

"They (BJP leaders) have not read the Prime Minister's speech and taken certain observations out of context. They are expected to make responsible statements and not to criticise the Prime Minister, especially when he is on foreign soil," party spokesman Anand Sharma told reporters.

Having a dig at the saffron party, he said the BJP leaders were "disoriented" due to "rampant infighting".

Sharma was responding to BJP's demand for an "apology" from the Prime Minister over his "insulting statement". BJP had also questioned whether Congress party and its President Sonia Gandhi approved of his views.

The Congress spokesman also attacked the BJP for charging the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government at the Centre with not doing enough to tackle the problem of terrorism in the wake of the recent terror strike in Ayodhya.