Not satisfied with Shashi Tharoor's "personal explanation" on the Kochi IPL deal in Lok Sabha today, BJP demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh explain to Parliament why the Union Minister has not stepped down and sought a "structured debate" on the issue.
"BJP demands that the Prime Minister should -- immediately after his return from his foreign trip -- explain to Parliament why Shashi Tharoor is not resigning from his post," party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters.
BJP also objected to Tharoor, the Minister of State for External Affairs, making the statement in Lok Sabha as an MP and not as a minister and said the government should issue a statement on the matter.
The main opposition also accused Tharoor of thinking that "we are naive people who cannot see beyond...".
"We also want a proper structured debate in Parliament in which all representatives of all political parties should take part," the BJP spokesperson said.
Prasad raised several questions about the explanation given by Tharoor and claimed that he was guilty under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act relating to receiving "pecuniary advantage" through a close associate.
"Tharoor does not deny that he is mentor of Rendezvous Sports World. Neither has he denied that his OSD Jacob Joseph was present at the auction of Kochi IPL. The individual in question (Sunanda Pushkar), who is a close friend of Tharoor, has not contributed anything to the franchise, to Kerala or to the game of cricket," Prasad said.
