New Delhi: Amid the ongoing war of words between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Opposition leader and his challenger in the coming election L K Advani, the two met each other in Parliament on Tuesday.
The PM and Advani acknowledged each other and shook hands at one point, but their meeting, which took place on the occasion of Ambedkar's birth anniversary seemed to be cordial but cold.
On Monday the Prime Minister launched an uncharacteristic counter-attack on Advani for calling him weak.
Speaking in Mumbai, the Prime Minister had said, "I am not a sloganeer. Unlike the NDA's prime ministerial candidate I will not be found weeping in a corner while hoodlums teat down a centuries old mosque, nor would I be found wringing my hands in frustration when one of my chief ministers condones a pogrom targeted at minorities."
Taking a dig at Advani's Jinnah remark in Pakistan, Manmohan said that he will certainly not say things in Pakistan that will offend every Indian and then abandon his stand when it becomes politically inconvenient within his party.
"Mr Advani has the unique ability to combine strength in speech with weakness in action. This is not the strength we need," he added.
Earlier, the senior BJP leader had challenged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to a live TV debate similar to the practice in the US where rival political leaders take on each other.