Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has ruled out his resignation on the coal block allocation issue and blamed the BJP for diversionary tactics on the issue. Speaking to reporters on board the special aircraft on his way back home from Tehran after attending the sixteenth NAM summit, he hoped good sense would prevail over the Opposition party, which disrupted Parliament.

Dr. Singh said he had to maintain the dignity of the Office of the Prime Minister and he could not get into a slinging match with other political leaders. He expressed the hope that BJP would respect the verdict of the people and let the Government function.

He also urged the Opposition to work together with the Government to tackle the problems facing the country effectively. He said he had always favoured the Prime Minister to be judged by the Lok Pal.

The Prime Minister said he sincerely hoped that Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi would seriously consider his request to join the Government.

The Prime minister said he was keen to visit Pakistan but for that a proper atmosphere had to be created. Dr Singh said crucial test for Islamabad was to bring to book the perpetrators of the heinous Mumbai attack. He said there should be a genuine feeling that Pakistan was doing its best to stop terror acts against India from its soil.

Ethnic violence in Assam, that has claimed over 80 lives, is a cause of worry, Dr Singh said. He termed the fleeing of thousands of people belonging to the north-east from Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune and other southern cities as bad. He said that his Government would work for the return of cohesion in the country.