Monday, July 24 2006 11:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: In a counter offensive, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today dared him to name the person who he claimed was a mole in the PMO leaking nuclear secrets to the US during the tenure of P V Narasimha Rao.

"If he (Jaswant) has the decency and courage, he should name the person whom he is accusing of being a mole. We are not afraid of any debate on any issue," the Prime Minister told reporters here.

He was responding to questions after a luncheon meeting with leaders of all political parties convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee a day before the beginning of the monsoon session of Parliament.

The Prime Minister said the issues raised by Jaswant Singh reflected the fact that the opposition had no real issues.

"This only shows that the opposition has no real issues and they are seeking excuses," he said.

Without naming anybody, former Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh has claimed in his book 'A Call To Honour' that someone in the PMO during late Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao's tenure had leaked nuclear secrets to the US and that we are still being snooped.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said he had come to know about this a decade ago but remained quiet so far as he did not want to sensationalise the issue.

He said "The honour of the Prime Minister's Office, to an extent, was at stake. We were snooped, we are still being snooped."