A Government statement this evening strongly objected to this morning's account by Arjun Singh of the meeting he and Pranab Mukherjee had with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on this issue last evening.

The dispute is over Singh's use of the phrase ``fascist clique''. Drawing a link between the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and the threat to Sonia, Singh blamed the conspiracy on ``the same fascist clique''.

He obliquely suggested that Vajpayee had confirmed the existence of such a plot, prompting a strong denial from the Government. There was no mention of any ``fascist clique'' by either Mukherjee or Singh at their meeting with the Prime Minister, nor did the latter confirm any such plot, an official spokesman said.

The spokesman quoted Vajpayee as urging that ``nobody should politicise the matter in anyway as it was of concern to the entire nation''. Singh used the same phrase in a letter to President K R Narayanan, written on May 8, to draw his attention to the hate campaign against Sonia. He drew a link between this and a similar campaign by ``a fascist core'' against Mahatma Gandhi which ultimately led to his assassination. He also blamed the assassinations of Indira and Rajiv Gandhi on ``the poison and venom released into the blood stream of the country''.

Despite persistent questioning by correspondents, he refused to name the ``fascist clique'' to which he was referring, but his suggestion that Vajpayee had endorsed his belief had the PMO bristling with anger.

According to official sources, the threat to Sonia is from the LTTE and this was conveyed to her both by the SPG Director and Vajpayee recently. The statement from the Government said Sonia was advised to be extra careful when she appeared in public. It said the Government had offered to liaise with her nominee on her securityarrangements.

The Government is particularly concerned about her tour plans. The arrangements for security have to be made in advance and now the agencies have to be doubly careful, an official source said.

Congress sources maintained, however, that this would not make any difference to her tour plans. She would campaign as intensively as she planned to do for the parliamentary elections. She will kick off her campaign with a two-day tour of Goa where assembly elections are on.

Singh said that as requested by the Government, a party functionary would soon be appointed to liaise with security agencies to ensure adequate arrangements for Sonia's tours.

Mukherjee said the Government should study the recommendations made by the Verma Commission which looked into the deficiencies of Rajiv's security cover, leading to his assassination in 1991.

While endorsing the Congress party's concern, the BJP today said that the Government has already instructed the Home Secretary to look into the matter.