A war of words has erupted between the SDLP and Sinn Féin after an SDLP representative raised the possibility of restoring devolved government without Sinn Féin involvement.
South Down MP Eddie McGrady said all options should be explored in the wake of the security assessment that the IRA was behind the raid on the Northern Bank.
Mr McGrady said all aspects of the political process had to be reviewed and that included the possibility of a new coalition.
"The democratic process must not be held up by the decisions of the IRA Army Council," he added.
However, Sinn Féin's Catríona Ruane accused Mr McGrady of being prepared to abandon the politics of inclusivity espoused by former SDLP leader John Hume.
Ms Ruane, who is contesting Mr McGrady's seat in the next Westminster election, said: "Many nationalists will be horrified that Mr McGrady is prepared to contemplate the politics of discrimination and exclusion.
"Sinn Féin is the largest nationalist and largest pro-Agreement party in the North and we will not allow the rights of our electorate to be undermined by the SDLP."
Mr McGrady angrily denied he was breaking ranks with the leadership of his own party.
"I totally subscribe to the principle of inclusivity but we have a situation whereby people do not want to conform to requirements of democracy," he said.
"If people want to stay out of something because they don't want to accept the rules of the game then that's their decision."
Mr McGrady said that if the Sinn Féin leadership divorced themselves from the IRA this would change the political landscape.
"They don't seem prepared to do that. They talk about their political mandate but people didn't mandate them to encourage or protect the criminal activities carried out by the IRA."