PM quitting report baseless, no differences with allies: Cong

New Delhi, Oct 22 (UNI) Saying differences existed only with the supporting Left parties and not with the allies, the Congress dismissed as ''baseless speculation'' reports that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today offered to resign over lack of support from the UPA allies on the India-US nuclear deal.

''I do not react to baseless speculations, neither should you,'' Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters, when asked whether the Prime Minister had offered to resign during the meeting of UPA allies and Congress leaders a few hours ahead of the UPA-Left coordination committee meeting on the nuclear deal.

''There is disagreement with the Left over the nuclear deal, but not with the Cabinet allies,'' he said, seeking to set the record straight on reports that the Prime Minister had recently stated that he was angry with some of the allies for approving the deal in the Cabinet and then opposing it outside.

''The PM was talking of differences with the Left,'' he added.

The Spokesman also said DMK chief M Karunanidhi had never stated that he was against the deal. ''What he said was that in view of the disagreement with the Left..., the process of agreement should be on.'' Describing it as a ''good deal'', Mr Singhvi said: ''We are for full discussions.'' ''You have to be an astrologer to predict it...,'' he said when asked when the deal would materialise.

He conceded that there were differences with the Left parries over certain issues, including the nuclear deal.

''That is why we have the joint mechanism on the deal to address those differences. We will continue to engage with the Left.... What the Government wants is an agreement,'' he said added that there was no deadline or time-frame set for the deal.

UNI