Vajpayee, on Wednesday responded to Singh's remark through a written statement saying it as 'not only beyond the truth but also laughable'.

"Vajpayee was constrained to issue a written denial controverting that (V P Singh's remark) and expressing in a harsh word which he rarely uses. He said it as 'laughable'," said senior party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad while releasing Vajpayee's statement to the media.

V P Singh had released a book based on his political journey on his 75th birthday on June 26.

Commenting on Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's denial to accompany the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his two-day visit to Vidarbha, Ravi Shankar Prasad opined that the prevailing difference of opinion among the coalition partners of the UPA government seemed to have come out.

As Ravi Shankar Prasad opined, "The UPA coalition have difference of opinion both on policies and on regional issues. Being a senior leader, the denial of Sharad Pawar to accompany Manmohan Singh during his visit to Vidarbha, which is his own State, shows that the Prime Minister has no strong holding on his own cabinet."

Earlier, Pawar had expressed his reservations over the Prime Minister's tour to Vidarbha, where hundreds of farmers have committed suicide in the recent months.

Though, Pawar has given the reason of being preoccupied with other assignments during PM's visit, the common belief is that the NCP is unhappy with the Manmohan's recent statement about his government showing a lethargic response towards the suicide of farmers in various parts of the country. And the party thinks it as indirect attack against Sharad Pawar, who is holding the agriculture portfolio.

The Prime Minister's two-day visit will begin on June 30 where he will meet families of farmers who committed suicide in Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal districts.

The Maharashtra coalition government is running through a tough phase after the recent election for the Rajya Sabha seat in which the NCP supported business magnate Rahul Bajaj and facilitated his victory with votes from Shiv Sena and BJP.(ANI)