New Delhi: The war of words between Congress and the BJP in the wake of the Jaipur blasts escalated today with the saffron party intensifying its attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by questioning how much authority he really wields.

Bringing Congress president Sonia Gandhi also under its radar, the saffron party wondered whether Singh really wields the authority of the prime minister of a big country like India as the "decision making is done at 10, Janpath".

Party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad also rejected Congress demand for withdrawal of the statement made by senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley against the Prime Minister saying "whatever he said was based on facts."

"What Arun Jaitley has said is right. There is no question of withdrawing his statement," he said referring to Jaitley's remarks that the Prime Minister's bonafides in the war against terror are suspect.

Hitting back at the Congress, Prasad asked the ruling party as to how much it cares about the authority of the Prime Minister. "Does Manmohan Singh really wields the authority of the prime minister of a big country like India. Has he got the right to induct or remove the minister of his choice. The decision making is done at 10, Janpath," he said.

On the Congress claim that questioning the prime minister's commitment in tackling terror amounted to "directly challenging the authority of the Indian state", he said it is wrong for Congress to equate the prime minister with the nation as he is too weakened an authority.
Source : PTI