PM disinterested on knowing identity of 'nuclear mole': BJP

New Delhi, July 28 (UNI) Charging Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of being ''disinterested and hesitant'' on knowing the identity of the 'mole' in the PMO during the P V Narasimha Rao regime, the BJP today sought to know the reason for such a reaction.

Addressing a press conference in the Parliament house premises, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, who had raised the issue was ready to disclose the name of the person who leaked India's intention to conduct nuclear tests to the United States but the PM was not giving him time.

''We want to know why is the PM not interested,'' he said.

Noting that Mr Singh had not said that there was a 'spy' in the PMO, Mr Malhotra said that all he had said was that this person spilled the beans about India's intention to go for nuclear tests at a time when the US was without clues.

Ridiculing the Congress' demand to hold an inquiry into the alleged ransom to terrorists in the IC-814 hijacking, Mr Malhotra said the former External Affairs Minister had made it clear in his book 'Call to Honour' and in his utterances, that no payment was was ever made to them for securing the release of 166 passengers onboard the hijacked Indian Airlines aircraft at Kandahar.

''Such being the case, it is ridiculous to make such a demand.

The Congress is in power controlling the investigation agencies like CBI. They should probe instead of making such demand and nobody was preventing them from going ahead,'' he said.

In a related development, the controversy surrounding the book has spurred the sales of the book penned by former Foreign Minister. Informed sources said that the publishers of book, which was formally released publicly yesterday, are readying for a reprint due to the heavy demand. Mr Singh has been canvassing for the book unhesitatingly even in his press conferences. While the mediapersons who approached his staff for complementary copies were rebuffed, Mr Singh, however, was offering a hefty 20 per cent discount to the media persons.

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