PM corners Jaswant over 'mole'

New Delhi: Former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh on Tuesday found himself at the receiving end in the Rajya Sabha.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked him to name the 'mole' in the PMO during Narasimha Rao's regime who "leaked" nuclear secrets to the US.

"The honourable member should answer the simple question. Who is the mole and why is he shying away from that?" the Prime Minister asked him during an acrimonious debate on the issue.

"If Jaswant Singh doesn’t name the mole, let the country draw it’s own conclusions," Manmohan added.

Jaswant Singh in his reply said, "The Prime Minister chose not to meet me. I have been treated poorly by the PM."

Though Jaswant failed to name the mole, he added the way in which the Prime Minister handled the issue was not proper.

"There should be an open discussion in the Rajya Sabha," Jaswant said.

Jaswant Singh has claimed in his memoir A Call To Honour that someone in the PMO during late prime minister P V Narasimha Rao's tenure had leaked nuclear secrets to the US.

Defending his former boss PV Narasimha Rao, Manmohan Singh had challenged the BJP leader to name the person in Rao's PMO.