New Delhi, July 29: Asserting the debate on Tehelka issue in one house would tantamount to an "affront" to the parliamentary system, CPI(M) today said Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee should have called a meeting of leaders of opposition parties to resolve Defence Minister George Fernandes boycott issue. "The government has not till today made it clear as to why did the Prime Minister accept Fernandes' resignation and why did he again induct him. We do not accept the Prime Minister's prerogative. Some moral accountability should be there," senior CPI(M) MP Somnath Chatterjee told reporters here.

Stating that he had no objection to a discussion on Tehelka in the Rajya Sabha, Chatterjee said if such a debate was not held in the Lok Sabha it would tantamount to an "affront" to the parliamentary system. Making a fresh demand for a discussion in Parliament on the "misuse" of CBI, he said CPI(M) has already demanded resignation of Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and added that the Vajpayee government was using the investigating agency for political motives.

Chatterjee said a meeting of leaders of opposition parties here this morning was attended by RLD leader Ajit Singh reflecting that the "opposition ranks are swelling and the opportunistic (NDA) alliance is disintegrating". National Conference leader Omar Abdullah had attended such a meeting last week. Bureau Report