The Congress core group met in New Delhi Thursday, the second time in less than 24 hours, to decide the fate of Bihar Governor Buta Singh in the wake of the Supreme Court verdict indicting him in the Bihar Assembly dissolution case.

• Buta Singh takes R-Day salute

With pressure mounting from the opposition as well as from the Left parties, the Congress high command is toying with the idea of asking Buta to voluntarily step down.

Immediately after the Republic Day celebrations, senior Congress ministers met at the residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] and continued consultations.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil told newspersons that the core group would meet again Thursday evening.

Dr Singh, who had said he would respect the Supreme Court verdict, consulted Patil and Law Minister H R Bharadwaj, among other colleagues.

According to sources, the meeting was of the view that Buta should resign voluntarily in the light of the apex court judgement. If the governor does not resign voluntarily, the government is left with no option but to sack him, the sources indicated.

The apex court, which had in its interim report held the dissolution of Bihar Assembly unconstitutional, in its detailed verdict Wednesday, also held the Union Cabinet guilty of not properly verifying the report sent in by the Bihar governor recommending dissolution of the Assembly.