Trade union activists, including those of the Congress’s Intuc, at a protest in Delhi against price rise. (PTI)

New Delhi, March 5: The Prime Minister put L.K. Advani in the dock again today, dismissing the BJP veteran’s charge that the resumption of the Indo-Pak talks had come under US pressure and asking the Opposition not to “spread disinformation” on sensitive matters.

Manmohan Singh told the Lok Sabha that India’s decision to resume the talks was a “calculated” and not a “sudden” move, and that he had “never believed in breaking all lines of communication” with Pakistan.

Singh’s tough stand rekindled the impression in political circles that he was particularly touchy about Advani although he easily digested criticism from other Opposition leaders.

Members across party lines thought Singh had been unusually harsh on Advani, for, Opposition charges of US pressure was not uncommon and the Left had virtually made it a pet theme to target the Manmohan government.

Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks for the President’s address, the Prime Minister took on Advani over several issues on which the two had locked horns two days ago in the Lok Sabha.

Referring to Advani’s charge that New Delhi had buckled to US pressure on Pakistan, Singh said: “I think we do a disservice to any government and Prime Minister of this proud country if we say such fundamental matters of national security and foreign policy were based on anything but our supreme national interests. I would urge the Opposition not to spread disinformation on sensitive aspects of our foreign policy.”

He added: “Not once has President (Barack) Obama sought to pressurise India into taking one position or the other.”

Singh also raised the subject of one-rank-one-pension for retired soldiers, on which Advani had accused him of misleading the House.

“Advaniji… stated that the commitment I made in my last year’s Independence Day speech and (the) finance minister’s promise in his budget speech of July 6, 2009, have not been honoured. This is not correct,” he said.

“We had constituted a committee under the cabinet secretary to look into the issue. The committee did not recommend one-rank-one-pension. But whatever recommendations the committee made… were accepted by the government. Five of the seven recommendations have been implemented and two will be done soon.”

The Prime Minister confronted Advani on the need for talks with Pakistan, saying: “Even at the height of the Cold War, the US and the Soviet Union used to talk to each other. The chances of miscalculation can only increase in an environment of no contact.”

He said that since all other nations were talking to Pakistan, India could not hope to isolate Islamabad by refusing to talk to it.

Singh also clarified he had “never” asked Saudi Arabia to mediate between India and Pakistan and had only shared common concerns, including terrorism, with the Gulf nation during his recent visit.

The Opposition had slammed junior foreign minister Shashi Tharoor for suggesting India was comfortable with Riyadh being an interlocutor, although Tharoor later argued that an interlocutor was distinct from a mediator.

Singh said that despite the Pune terror attack last month, India’s internal security had improved over the past year. The government is ready to talk to the Maoists but only if they abjure violence, he said.

The Prime Minister said the government was doing its best to check the spiralling prices. It could have curbed price rise though strict fiscal and monetary measures but that would have reduced demand, triggering large-scale unemployment and poverty.

“Is that what the House would want us to do?” he asked rhetorically.