Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has accused the Taoiseach of "unprecedented and disgraceful behaviour" for making supportive remarks about Mayo TD Beverley Flynn in advance of a court case involving her costs in an RTÉ libel case.
The dispute between Ms Flynn and RTÉ over the €2.84 million costs incurred by the station in fighting the libel action was subsequently settled with an agreement by the TD to pay €1.25 million.
Mr Kenny said yesterday that there had been no credible explanation for the sequence of events surrounding the Taoiseach's statement that he would be prepared to appoint Ms Flynn as a junior minister and her legal settlement with RTÉ.
In an interview on RTÉ radio, Mr Kenny, who was endorsed by his parliamentary party on Wednesday to continue as leader, said his long-term ambition was to make Fine Gael the largest party in the Dáil.
Mr Kenny was given near unanimous support by his parliamentary party.
It is understood that only two of about 60 TDs and Senators voted against his continued leadership.
Mr Kenny said yesterday that the 20 seats gained by Fine Gael in last month's general election were unprecedented, and he intended to make the local elections in two years' time the springboard for making the party the largest in the Dáil.
He said he had asked about a deal between the Taoiseach and Ms Flynn in the Dáil in an effort to establish the nature of all the deals done by Mr Ahern with Independent TDs.
"He confirmed that he had no arrangement with Deputy Flynn. Now, she said on the day the Dáil was appointed on June 14th when she voted for the Taoiseach that she had an agreement, and an arrangement with the Taoiseach and a verbal commitment in respect of which the people of Mayo would be very pleased, and she herself would be very pleased, and that all would become apparent shortly.
"Now, the following day he said that it was his intention to make Beverley a junior minister in due course. Yesterday in the Dáil he said that he had no discussion with her, and that he had no arrangement with her.
"So, the point is here, we're not being told with any kind of clarity what the actual situation is here.
"Somebody is not telling the full truth. Either there was a discussion about a deal being done for the people of Mayo or Beverley Flynn's future with the Taoiseach or there was not. She says there was; he says there wasn't," said Mr Kenny.
He said the issue of whether Ms Flynn was admitted back into Fianna Fáil was a matter for Fianna Fáil, but he wanted to establish the true sequence of events between the time the Taoiseach made his comments about Ms Flynn being welcome back in the party and the decision of RTÉ to do a deal on the issue of legal costs.
"I think it's unprecedented, and I regard it as actually disgraceful behaviour by the leader of the country to stand up and make a comment about any deputy in advance of a court case that any deputy might be having to contend with.
"I have heard no credible explanation for the sequence of events here," said Mr Kenny.
"He [Mr Ahern] had no discussion with the deputy when he met her on the day that Dáil was appointed. Yet he comes out and makes a statement that it's his intention to make her a junior minister. That's a public statement by the Taoiseach in advance of a court case. Would he do the same if any of his other deputies were facing a court case?"