The Labour Party today joined Fine Gael in accusing Taoiseach Bertie Ahern of breaking his pledge not to go into government with Sinn Féin.
Mr Ahern has ruled out a pre-election pact but told RTE Radio yesterday that he would accept support from the party's TDs in a Dáil vote for Taoiseach.
Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte today said the Taoiseach had reversed his "solemn pledge" to go into opposition rather than rely on Sinn Féin for support after the next general election, due to be held in early summer.
Mr Rabbitte said: "This is an acknowledgement that he [Mr Ahern] will not be able to form a government with the Progressive Democrats alone.
"Fianna Fáil are attempting to portray as reasonable that Mr Ahern would accept the support of Sinn Féin deputies in order to get back into government.
"But the other side of that 'reasonable' coin is that Mr Ahern's government would then be dependent on Sinn Féin."
But Fianna Fáil today insisted the Taoiseach's pledge not to enter government with Sinn Féin remained and it would only accept support from its TDs in a free vote in the Dáil.
"The Taoiseach has been consistently clear that Fianna Fáil will not enter into a coalition with Sinn Féin after the next election, and he's also been clear on numerous occasions that Fianna Fáil will not enter into any formal or informal arrangements with Sinn Féin," a spokeswoman for the party said.
Mr Ahern had told the This Weekprogramme that he would not enter any pact or discussions with Sinn Féin on forming a government but that it would not be "reasonable for somebody to go in and say that you wouldn't take support from a party".
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny later responded saying the Taoiseach's comments were "a dramatic new shift in position".
He referred to a statement given to the Sunday Independentin 2005 in which Mr Ahern said: "I would lead my party into Opposition rather than contemplate coalition with Sinn Féin or an arrangement for their support in Government."
Mr Kenny said the Taoiseach's comments confirms that Fianna Fáil would "cede controlling interest to Sinn Fein in support of a Fianna Fáil or Fianna Fáil/PD minority Government".
Sinn Féin had "yet to complete its journey to full democracy", he added.
Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin accused Mr Kenny of trying to rival the PDs in anti-republican hysteria for electoral purposes.
"Enda Kenny would be better off focusing on his own internal party problems rather than engaging in this hysteria, especially at a crucial time in the peace process," Mr Ó Caoláin said.
Additional reporting Reuters