A Fianna Fail has backbencher has accused the Minister for Defence of "putting it up" to the Taoiseach through his efforts to resist demotion from the Cabinet.
Laois TD Mr John Moloney said that no Minister was in a position to dictate to Mr Ahern that they should retain their seat in the Cabinet and he was "totally opposed" to the view that Mr Smith could make such a demand of the Taoiseach.
His remarks followed an escalation in Mr Smith's attempts to keep his position when he said in public for the first time that he would not follow the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Joe Walsh, out of the Cabinet before next month's reshuffle.
"When was the last time that you decided to go before anyone ever asked you? Quitters don't win, winners don't quit. I've made it absolutely clear that as far as I'm concerned I won't be taking the same action as Joe Walsh has taken," Mr Smith said on RTÉ.
While he accepted absolutely the principle that the decision was for the "Taoiseach alone" to make, he insisted that he not prepared to resign voluntarily.
"Nothing in my history would show, either in the way that I steadfastly stood in North Tipp, held our two seats, my work in Government, nothing I think has ever shown me as a quitter. I'm not quitting now."
However, the stance maintained by his camp in the fortnight since Mr Walsh announced his retirement met its first public rebuke from within Fianna Fáil last night.
"It certainly is very disconcerting for members of the parliamentary party to be seen to be putting it up to the Taoiseach," said Mr Moloney. "No Minister should dictate to the Taoiseach that he should remain in." Such views tally with opinions expressed in private by many senior political figures and backbenchers, although a spokesman for Mr Ahern said he had not authorised Mr Moloney to criticise Mr Smith.
Mr Moloney was particularly critical of remarks attributed to sources close to Mr Smith, who were quoted as saying last weekend that he would feel free to publicly criticise Government policy if demoted.
"Your strength of support for public policy shouldn't be dictated by whether you are in the Cabinet."
Mr Smith claimed that elements of the print media had "taken out of the sky" views attributed to sources close to him, "but the Taoiseach knows my views on a number of things. I'm a straightforward kind of guy. There's nothing hidden about what I want to do, what I don't want to do."