Volcker & Bofors - Congress Party involvement

08-04-2006, 03:10 AM

Pathak just the tip: Jagatâs Mercedes seized, money trail gets closer to him
Oil For Food: Money from contract suspected to be behind car purchase, show-cause soon 

Lonely Natwarâs swipe: how can they slam me, clear Congress?QUOTEReacting to the Pathak report, Natwar said, âWhatever has been leaked to the media proves I and my son are fully vindicated. The only aspersion against me and my son is that we misused our position. At that time, I was neither a minister nor an MP nor my son was an MLA. How does the question of misusing our position arise?â Natwar asked. He took another swipe at the party: âHow can they cast aspersions on me and give Congress given a clean chit?â 

Sources said Natwar is even looking at the possibility of resigning from the party. He is also likely to look at the Samajwadi Party for rehabilitation. Natwar has been in close contact with Amar Singh.Â <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />

08-04-2006, 08:57 PM

QUOTESubject: Press Release
Statement of Dr. Subramanian Swamy on the Justice Pathak Report

Â Â Â Â Â The Justice Pathak Report under submission to the PM has, according to the deliberate leaks from officialdom,Â indicted Mr. Natwar Singh and exonerated the Congress Party of any prima facie guilt. India has seen such staged dramas of whitewashing and finding scapegoats many times before, e.g., the Commissions of Inquiry on Bofors.

Â Â Â Â Â Â I had closely worked with Natwar Singh in 1998-99 and can say that he is incapable of taking any decision on any matters without the prior and clear direction from Ms. Sonia Gandhi. Hence, it is wholly farcical for the Pathak Inquiry body to find him solely responsible for the stinking and shameful Oil-for Food scandal that happened in collusion with the world's most greedy dictator Saddam Hussein . The UN's official Volcker Committee had indeedÂ in print reported that Congress Party as a separate entity had been a non contractual [favoured non-business] recipient of voucher no. M/10/57 that entitled the Congress to zero--cost ownership of a million plus barrels of Iraqi oil. This entitlement was sold to the well known pardoned criminal and Israeli agent Marc Rich owned Masefield AG oil trading company which in turn sold it in the international market to an Italian company for a profit of $ 30 million less the payment to the Congress. Where has all that booty gone ? I have already supplied the ED with New York, Swiss and Cayman Island accounts held illegally by Ms. Sonia Gandhi, her son and Satish Sharma which may show the deposits. The PNs sold in the Mumbai stock market by Fidelity Investments of USA may give more leads. I had also filed a private complaint with the CBI, which acknowledged the receipt of the same by a letter dated December 1, 2005, but has yet to register a FIR.

Â Â Â Â Â Now that the Government has decided to amend the Cr.PC to allow plea bargain, I suggest to Mr. Natwar Singh to stop being a 'halal chicken' and make a clean breast of it all under this provision. He should explicitly put the blame where it must justifiably rest: on Sonia alias Antonia Maino Gandhi of Italy.

08-04-2006, 09:39 PM

Natwar gave reference letters: JagatQUOTEJagat said he has seen the contents of the letters which said "I am sending an Indian businessmen. Please, help him do business in your country, if you can."

"If these people (Andaleeb Sehgal and others) have made money with the help of the letter provided by Natwar Singh, it is their good luck. Whose fault is that," Jagat added.

Challenging the findings of Volcker Committee, Jagat Singh said "it says that Natwar Singh and the Congress party are non-contractual beneficiaries. This means that the Congress Party and Natwar Singh have received money."

"But then they (Pathak Inquiry Authority) are saying that Natwar and I have not received any money which proves that Volcker's report is wrong," he added.
..................

He also said that there was an international angle to the whole episode. "These days international politics is a big issue. View the entire episode from that angle," he said hinting at the role of America behind the issue.

08-05-2006, 12:49 AM

Volcker Report

08-05-2006, 07:06 AM

QUOTENatwar: Letter? Even Pathak gave Jagat one
8/4/2006 11:55:52 PM
-Â Â Â Â By Seema Mustafa
New Delhi, Aug. 4: Justice R.S. Pathak, when he was the Chief Justice of India, had given a letter of recommendation introducing Mr Jagat Singh to his counterpart in London for admission to a British law college. <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />Â <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />Â Former external affairs minister Natwar Singh disclosed this nugget of information to this newspaper to prove his point that there was nothing wrong in giving letters of recommendation. "All MPs and others in positions of authority do so every single day," Mr Natwar Singh said.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi also gave a letter introducing the Congress delegation to Iraq led by Mr Natwar Singh to the then Iraqi President, Mr Saddam Hussein. Incidentally, it was this visit during which reports had earlier suggested that the oil-for-food deal was struck. "So does this mean that Ms Sonia Gandhi misused her position and should go to jail," Mr Natwar Singh asked. He wondered, however, how the Congress Party, which had also been named as a non-contractual beneficiary in the Volcker report, has now been given a clean chit while he has been accused of misusing his position.

The former minister was referring to the Justice R.S. Pathak Inquiry Authority report suggesting that he had misused his position in writing a letter to the then Iraqi oil minister introducing businessman Andaleeb Sehgal. "What was wrong in that," Mr Natwar Singh asked. "I will ask all the MPs in Parliament when I speak whether or not they have given hundreds of such letters?" He said he had not asked for a favour for himself, his son or the Congress Party. He had not spoken of coupons, oil or anything specific as it was just a general letter of recommendation, like the one given by Justice Pathak for his son Jagat Singh, or by Mrs Sonia Gandhi introducing the party delegation.

The letter, according to Mr Jagat Singh, merely stated, "I am sending a young man, Andaleeb Sehgal. I will be very grateful if you could help him do business in Iraq," or words to that effect. Mr Jagat Singh, who is also feeling as "vindicated" as his father after the Pathak report details were "leaked" to a section of the press, said that all letters at that time were addressed to the Iraqi oil minister, who was in charge of the oil-for-food programme and thereby controlled the sale of "shoes, clothes, everything" to Iraq at the time.

Mr Natwar Singh said the fact that he and his son had not received any money was the "crux of the report, the rest is all baloney". He said it was a political report and not a judicial report, and Justice Pathak had harmed his own reputation in the process. He said he has asked repeatedly for the letters to be put out publicly so that "everyone can see what I actually wrote at the time. I write hundreds of such letters, as all politicians do, and I do not know how I am supposed to have misused my position as I was not a minister then, and moreover did not ask anything for myself, my son or even the party."

He stressed that there was no question of misusing his position as "I was not a minister, or a MP, then, and my son was not a MLA." Visibly angry about the "leak", Mr Natwar Singh said, "I will be going all out now to find out who is responsible for all this, who has been putting pressure on Justice Pathak." He said he has received a great deal of support and is now determined to "expose" those who have played a part in the conspiracy against him. He said the government's decision to "leak" the report was inexcusable and pointed a finger at a lawyer attached to the Pathak inquiry authority who had been placed there by a "senior minister" and had a relative in a "television news channel".

Mr Jagat Singh insisted that the Mercedes-Benz seized by the authorities did not belong to him. "It is not my car," he said, adding, "I have never owned a Mercedes. I do not know which poor soul's Mercedes they have taken. I can challenge the Enforcement Directorate on this. Give me the registration number and we will find out whose car it is. If it is traced to me, take me to jail."

Mr Natwar Singh also wanted to know how Mr Aneil Matherani had been exonerated as it was "because of him that I lost my job". He said that Mr Matherani should be asked to produce all the documents he had spoken of, and give evidence supporting his claims. He reiterated his earlier claim that the Volcker report did not have any validity, that the names of the American companies had been removed from it, that it had been proved wrong as, contrary to allegations contained in it, he had not been found to have taken any money, and that India was the only country to have taken the Volcker report seriously.
http://asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&cat1...&RF=DefaultMain

Judge, Queen Sonia and Natwar whole wagon of crooks in same train.

08-06-2006, 01:43 AM

QUOTENatwar at war 
Pioneer.com
Navin Upadhyay | New Delhi
* Slaps privilege notice on PM * Plans massive Jat jalsa to flex muscle ---- Treated as an untouchable by a party which he served for more than four decades, Congress veteran Natwar Singh has decided to declared war on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress.Â Â

The former External Affairs Minister has moved a privilege motion against Manmohan and resolved to hold a rally in Delhi to take on his foes within the Congress.

Sources said on Saturday that Natwar Singh submitted a privilege notice on Friday night to Rajya Sabha chairman Bharion Singh Shekhawat against the Prime Minister for the "deliberate" leak of the Justice Pathak report. He has reportedly alleged that the Prime Minister's Office had leaked the report to malign his image.

It is rare for a party MP to move a privilege motion against his own Prime Minister. The development shows the extent to which Natwar Singh is willing to go in his war against his own Government. The response of the Prime Minister and the party will be keenly watched now that the veteran Jat leader has openly joined the Opposition in putting the Prime Minster in the dock.

Sources said Natwar is convinced that the PM and some Ministers are trying to make him a scapegoat in the Iraqi oil-for-food programme and if he remains mum, the Enforcement Directorate may implicate him as a beneficiary.

Incidentally, the ED has seized a car from Jagat Singh claiming it was brought from the proceeds of the Iraqi oil pay-off. Jagat Singh claims that the car does not belong to him. The ED is also believed to have recommended scrutiny of income tax returns of Natwar Singh and his son.

The Justice Pathak report indicts Natwar and his son with "misuse of position", a charge the duo has dismissed, saying Natwar did not hold any official position when he wrote three letters to introduce Andleeb Sehgal to Iraqi authorities.

Sources said that Natwar Singh has made up his mind to part ways with the Congress. The rally, which he plans to hold at the Ramlila Ground in Delhi, will see the mobilisation of Jats to show his strength. This is being seen as another step towards the launch of a new political future for the ageing leader who is being wooed by Congress' bitterest rival Samajwadi Party.

Sources said that Natwar Singh understands that it is impossible for him to return to any position in the Congress and there is no risk in taking a political gamble at this stage in his career when he has very little to lose.

Natwar is feeling emboldened by the support he has got from the Opposition. The NDA and Samajwadi Party have criticised the Pathak report's clean chit to the Congress and claimed that Natwar is being made a scapegoat. The unity displayed across partylines in Parliament, on the demand for probe of the leakage of the report, is an indication of the isolation of the Congress on crucial issue.

Sources said that soon after Natwar sent the privilege notice, a group of Oppositions MPs sent a similar notice to Rajya Sabha chairman seeking a probe by the House committee of the leakage of the report.

Incidentally, Natwar is a key member of the Left-backed Opposition's initiative to bring a resolution in Parliament on the Indo-US deal. The Opposition is also considering a privilege motion against the Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, the Congress tried to downplay the possibility of Natwar Singh walking out of the party.

"There will be no difference if anyone leaves, whether it's him or whether it's me, the party will go on like it has in the last 60 years and cannot get affected if one person joins or leaves," Minister of State for Home Sri Prakash Jaiswal said

"Nothing has been leaked by the Government, but if there has been a leak then it will be investigated. Nobody has any secrets about the Congress as the Congress has never had any secrets," he said. In a related development, CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat said the Pathak commission investigating the Volcker scandal needs to investigate the role of the Reliance oil company. The Left now intends to raise the issue in Parliament.

"The beneficiaries Natwar Singh and the Congress were to be investigated, this was the reference and terms of the Pathak committee. There were also a few more names mentioned in the report," said Karat.

"There was Bhim Singh who was given a clean chit. The fourth one was an oil company that seems to have got the most benefits. Why then are there no investigations against this company?" he asked.


Well, Bhim Singh of Panther's party who is now supporting COngress in J&K, pocketed maximum money and no investigation against them.
Natwar should clean whole 9 yard of Sonia Congress dirty laundry in Ramila Ground. It will be his greatest service to India.

08-08-2006, 12:56 AM

QUOTEThe great Pathak whitewash 
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
The Justice RS Pathak Authority inquiring into the alleged kickbacks to the Congress Party and former external affairs minister Natwar Singh ended up whitewashing the scam stains that had stuck on the ruling party in the Iraqi oil-for-food scandal.Â

The authority absolved the Congress by presuming that Natwar Singh had doled out favours without the approval of the party president. While the inquiry had detailed evidence of the financial trail emanating from Baghdad and ending with Hamdaan Exports in Delhi, it surprisingly had no evidence of the involvement of any Congress functionary.

The Pathak Authority implied that Natwar Singh acted independent of the Congress party. "How the name of the Indian Congress Party came to be mentioned in this letter is not known," the report said. But this is what Justice Pathak should have answered and not left it open to interpretations.

Justice Pathak had evidence before him not to give a clean chit to the Congress. For example, on August 21, 2001 the Executive Director, State Oil Marketing Organisation wrote to the Iraqi Oil Minister seeking the approval of the allocation of one million barrels of Kirkuk crude oil under Contract M/10/57 "for the benefit of the Indian Congress Party."

The only explanation it sought from the Congress Party was how did its name figure in the oil-for-food scam in which then AICC treasurer Motilal Vora deposed. "The letter (Natwar Singh wrote to Oil Ministry in Iraq on the letterhead of AICC on January 30, 2001 giving approval to Andaleeb Sehgal) does not speak of whether it was for a personal or official use. But Motilal Vora, when examined by the inquiry authority in his capacity as a treasurer of the Indian National Congress characterised the letter as that for personal purpose," the report said. The Pathak Authority then acquitted the Congress Party in the absence of evidence.

This acquittal comes even though the Pathak Authority noted that Congress functionary and key witness Aneil Matherani failed to cooperate with the authority. "None of the delegates were forthcoming in their deposition about what transpired and whom they met while in Iraq."

Matherani stated that he did not know Natwar Singh well. He said this even though he was a secretary in the very same Foreign Affairs Department. It appears from the documents before the Inquiry Authority that it was Matherani himself who coordinated the entire visit of the delegation to Iraq," the report said.

The Inquiry Authority asked several members of the official delegation whether any report of the visit had been submitted upon their return from Baghdad to the president of the Congress Party. The replies were either that they did not know or that it could have been prepared, but they themselves did not prepare any report.

It is in the absence of any such documentary proof before the inquiry authority and also the fact that no report was submitted to the president of the Congress Party that has made the task of the authority somewhat difficult in ascertaining the exact nature of the business transacted in Baghdad.

Stain Natwar, make Cong Snow White
On August 21, 2001 the executive director, state oil marketing organisation wrote to Iraqi Oil Minister seeking the approval of allocation of one million barrel of Kirkuk crude Oil under Contract M/10/57 "for the benefit of the Indian Congress Party".

How the name of the Indian Congress Party came to be mentioned in this letter is not known. What appears to be the reason is that Natwar Singh and Jagat Singh so projected themselves that the Iraqi authorities formed the impression that they were representatives of the Congress Party. The inquiry authority has absolutely no evidence whatsoever to link the Congress Party to the transaction discussed in this report. Except for the fact that Natwar Singh and Jagat Singh belonged to the Indian Congress Party there is not a shred of evidence to link the Congress Party to the transaction.

The original composition of the delegation and even the departure date was subsequently changed, P Shiv Shankar was added as a member of the delegation. What was responsible for the change in composition and date of departure is not clear and none of the persons who appeared before the inquiry authority could throw light on this. When Natwar Singh was asked about this, his answer was that the question should be directed to Aneil Mathrani, who was secretary in Foreign Affairs Department of the Congress Party. When inquiry authority asked Mathrani about this, his reply was that he did not know and that one should ask Natwar Singh.

In fact, Mathrani stated that he did not know Natwar Singh closely. He said even though he was secretary in the very same Foreign Affairs Department that Natwar Singh headed. It appears from the documents before the Inquiry Authority that it was Mathrani himself who coordinated the entire visit of the delegation to Iraq.

08-08-2006, 03:49 AM

Congress prepares to punish defiant Natwar[QUOTE]

Queen is angry but Natwar may open Pandora Box.
Options which congress can try.
-Make Sitaram Kesari out of Natwar.
-Turn him into Rajesh Pilot or Schindia
-Natwar is not Rao, he is still young.

**acharya** · 08-08-2006, 05:41 AM

What about like VN Gadgil.

The day Gadgil talked about creating a vote bank of Hindus he died in his sleep!

08-08-2006, 09:26 AM

We may see some surprising events. Congressi are working full time to protect Queen and purse.
Natwar can harm Queen and halo big time. I think she will try to cut deal with him. SOme backdoor thing may change equation.

08-08-2006, 11:40 AM

QUOTEOil for food?Â

New Delhi: Three letters written by K Natwar Singh to Iraqi Oil Minister Amer Mohammed Rasheed in 2001 formed the basis on which Justice R S Pathak held that the former external affairs minister lend his assistance in the procurement of oil allocation to Delhi-based businessman Andaleeb Sehgal.

The first one dated January 30, 2001 said: 
"Excellency, I am sending this letter with Andaleeb Sehgal. He was present when I called on you on January 22, 2001 at your office in Baghdad. He is well known to me for many years and so is the company he owns. He enjoys my full support and confidence, and I would appreciate you giving him your full assistance and cooperation.

May I take this opportunity to thank you for receiving me and giving me so much of your time out of your busy schedule.
I greatly valued our discussions on Indo-Iraq relations and wider issues of importance to both our parties and countries. The Congress Party greatly values its fraternal links with the Arab Ba'ath Socialist Party. I believe that these links have been further intensified during our stay in Baghdad.
We have returned full of admiration for your stouthearted people.
With regards,
Yours sincerely,
(K Natwar Singh)

The second letter dated April 26, 2001 said: 
"Excellency, I am sending this letter with my son K Jagat Singh who is general secretary of the youth wing of the Congress Party. He and his cousin Andaleeb Sehgal were with me when I called on you about three months ago. Jagat and his cousin will tell you how much I have appreciated your help and cooperation which I hope will continue.
With warm regards and greetings on the occasion of the birthday of His Excellency, the President of Iraq.
Yours sincerely,
(K Natwar Singh)

In his third letter to the Iraqi minister on August 11, 2001, he said: 
"Excellency, I would like to present my greetings and congratulate you on the re-election of President Saddam Hussein as the Leader of the Arab Ba'ath Socialist Party. I am sending this letter with Andaleeb Sehgal, who has come to Baghdad to continue the co-operation extended by yourself.
I would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm our solidarity with the Arab Ba'ath Socialist Party and the people of Iraq.
With warm regards and greetings,
Yours sincerely,
(K Natwar Singh)

08-08-2006, 04:19 PM

<img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /> Normalcy restored in Rajya Sabha; Natwar absent 
Source: PTI.

New Delhi, Aug 8: After the two-day furore over the privilege issue, calm was restored in Rajya Sabha during Zero Hour today with former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh, who held the Prime Minister accountable for leakage of the Pathak report, conspicuous by his absence. (damp Squibb!){Natu is no VP Singh;Manmohan is no Rajiv Gandhi}
Though the House was adjourned during Question Hour over another controversial issue raised by AIADMK regarding certain allegations against Finance Minister P Chidambaram in a book on stock market, normalcy was restored in Zero Hour when the House reassembled and there was no mention of the privilege notice.

The House took up during Zero Hour the serious issues of floods in several states in the country and the need to revise the minimum support price with several members cutting across party lines urging government to take immediate steps.

Chidambaram, who was under attack by AIADMK, Samajwadi Party and several other opposition members was present in the House as Tuesday is the question day for Finance.

08-08-2006, 11:48 PM

Cong suspends Natwar from primary membership QUOTE.......................
The Congress will issue a whip against Natwar to prevent him from speaking against the party in Parliament.

Through Monday, Natwar kept on sending conflicting signals.

Many within the Congress saw it as a flip-flop by a politician fighting with his back to the wall.

One reason for that is that the Pathak panel report. Tabled in Parliament, the report has caught Natwar on the backfoot.

In the letters reproduced in the Pathak Panel report Natwar admits he alongwith Andaleeb Sehgal was there for the meetings with the Iraqi oil minister.

Till now he has maintained that he only wrote letters of introduction and was not present for the meetings

08-08-2006, 11:54 PM

bali ka bakraa.. sonia rani ki jay..

08-09-2006, 03:19 AM

QUOTEDr Singh is a nominated PM: Natwar
August 09, 2006 01:42 IST
Last Updated: August 09, 2006 02:31 IST

Stung by his suspension from the Congress party, former external
affairs minister Natwar Singh launched a scathing attack on Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh and his Ministerial council late Tuesday night
and declared that he was ready for a 'decisive battle.'

Reacting sharply to Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee's remark that
Natwar had brought disrepute to the Congress, the former external
affairs minister said there are three persons in Manmohan Singh's
council of ministers who are accused in cases of murder and rape.

"Are they not bringing disrepute to the government? My record is
impeccable," he said.

"I want to write to the Guiness Books of World Records that Manmohan Singh is the only prime minister of India among the eleven prime ministers that the country has had who has not won even a municipal election. What is he going to tell me," Natwar asked.

"Manmohan Singh is a nominated prime minister. He is not a
representative of the people of India," he said.

Responding to Mukherjee's allegation that he had been carrying out
propaganda against the Congress in recent weeks, Natwar said: "Let
them give a proof of this."

"Is it fair that the (Pathak Authority) report is leaked from the
office of Manmohan Singh," he queried.

Natwar claimed that Pranab Mukherjee wanted to become the prime
minister after Indira Gandhi's death. He was thrown out of Congress
for six years.

He said his suspension from the party came on 'Raksha Bandhan' day,
which is a very auspicious day. "But for the Congress it is ..Vinash
Kale Viparit Buddhi..(people act unwisely when facing destruction)."

Declaring that he was ready for a decisive battle, Natwar said: "I am
a man of strong nerves. I won't take things lying down."

Asked when he would reply to the show cause notice given by Congress
asking him to explain why he should not be expelled from the party, he
shot back stating: "What is the hurry?"

Immediately after his suspension, Samajwadi Party general secretary
Amar Singh, Janata Dal (United) leader Digvijay Singh and BJP leaders
Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha drove to Natwar's residence and
had a 30-minute meeting with him.

Emerging from the meeting, Amar Singh said: "Natwar has always
positioned himself in favour of Iraq, Iran and was anti-US. Now that
India has been put on sale, he is fighting against that and paid the
price for that."

Yashwant Sinha said the meeting with Natwar discussed Indo-US nuclear
deal and how to bring a 'sense of the House resolution.'

Shatrughan Sinha said Natwar is not the leader of Congress alone but the leader of the country. "The country is facing trouble and at this juncture, we need to support Natwar."Â <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />
http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/aug/09volcker1.htm

Natwar Singh suspended from Cong
Press Trust of India
Posted online: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 at 1058 hours IST
Updated: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 at 0011 hours IST

New Delhi, August 8: Wielding the axe, Congress tonight suspended
Natwar Singh, indicted by the Pathak inquiry in Iraqi oil scam, from
primary membership of the party for misusing his position to get oil
contracts and a show cause notice will be used asking him why he
should not be expelled from the party.
The decision to suspend the 75-year-old Singh was taken after a
90-minute meeting of Congress disciplinary action committee and
announced by Defence
Minister Pranab Mukherjee, one of the members of the committee.
The decision came a day after the report of the Pathak inquiry was
placed in Parliament along with the report of the government which
accepted all the findings of the authority.
Mukherjee told reporters that as leader of the Congress delegation to
Iraq in 2001, Natwar Singh "expanded the list of delegates to include
his son Jagat Singh and cousin Andleeb Sehgal without any authority
from the Congress president or even without her knowledge".
"Natwar Singh has also been indulging in and carrying on a propaganda
against Congress party bringing it disrepute," he said. On these
grounds, Natwar Singh has been suspended from primary membership of
the party and a show cause notice would be issued to him "shortly"
asking him why he should not be expelled from Congress, the Defence
Minister said.
Natwar Singh had yesterday filed a breach of privilege notice against
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in connection with the leakage of the
content of Justice Pathak's report to the media even before it could
be placed in Parliament
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=72110

Congress suspends Natwar Singh

Onkar Singh in New Delhi
August 09, 2006 00:12 IST
Last Updated: August 09, 2006 01:07 IST

The Congress party has suspended former external affairs minister and
party leader K Natwar Singh from the party's primary membership.

The decision was taken at the party's disciplinary committee meeting
held at the party headquarters in New Delhi late Tuesday night.
Interacting with media persons at a press conference, Defence Minister
Pranab Mukherjee said that Natwar has been given two weeks to explain
why he moved a privilege motion against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
in the Rajya Sabha on the leakage of Justice R S Pathak committee
report on the Volcker commission report.

The three-member disciplinary committee headed by former Kerala chief
minister A K Antony met to discuss the uttering by Natwar on the
Pathak report and quickly decided him to suspend him from the party.

The congress party charged Natwar for misusing his position during his
trip to Iraq in January 2001. He was also charged with expanding the
delegation without authority by including his son Jagat Singh and his
friend Andaleeb Sehgal in it and introducing them to the Iraqi
authorities.
"This is not the final action. If the disciplinary committee is
satisfied with his reply then the matter would end there otherwise
further action could be taken against him," Mukherjee said.

"I would not give the letter to you until he received the show cause
letter and studied its contents," he said, adding that the
parliamentary party had its own procedure and would deal with him
accordingly.

The show cause notice is expected to be sent to him either late
Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.

PTI adds:
The Bharatiya Janata Party has termed the decision as an attempt to
defend Congress president Sonia Gandhi from charges that she had sent
a letter through him to Iraqi authorities for oil contracts.

"It is a typical Congress culture to sacrifice its members when it comes to protecting the party chief from trouble," BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar told PTI.

"In this case, the Congress moved ahead to desert Natwar Singh when it
clearly emerged it would otherwise become difficult for the party to
defend Sonia Gandhi over the charges that she had sent a letter to
Iraqi authorities through him for oil deals," he said.
http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/aug/09volcker.htm

08-09-2006, 03:32 AM

In this moment of extreme rage, Nutwar cant bring himself to saying anything against queen mother.. Its that fellow Manmohan onlee or the kangress onlee or the martians onlee - but not the queen, not the queen.. <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />

08-09-2006, 04:34 AM

Even after so many agony and pain, Nutwar is still protecting Queen and loot. This is called good understanding. Real commitment.
For now Queen and her assets are well protected by dedicated foot soldiers.
This episode can just bring Asthma attack nothing more.

08-09-2006, 08:24 AM

If he squeals so much as a word against rani-saheba , he is toast. All this hungama is just empty threats so some kind of arrangement can be made with queen so within a year or so he can be 'rehabilitated' at a later date. I dont understand why the 2 Sinhas went to this hardcore chamcha.

08-10-2006, 12:08 AM

<!--emo&

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /> 'PM does not need Natwar's certificate'
[ 9 Aug, 2006 2218hrs ISTPTI ]

RSS Feeds| SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates

MUMBAI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh does not need a certificate from the likes of Natwar Singh, AICC spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said in Mumbai on Wednesday.

"He (Natwar Singh) should not try to give a certificate to the Prime Minister", Singhvi told reporters here, commenting on Natwar Singh's remarks against the PM.

He also ridiculed the suspended Congress leader's statement that the Guinness Book of World Records should include Manmohan Singh's name as the Prime Minister who has not won even a municipal election.

"In fact, it is the name of Natwar Singh that should be included in the Guinness Book. For over 40 years, he was with Congress. The party has given him so much and after all this, he is going against it", Singhvi said.

He also criticised the Opposition members, including NDA leaders, who have come in support of the former external affairs minister.

"Let us see for how long they support him and he supports them", he said. "One who extends his hand in friendship is not always a friend", he added.

"All of them have come together for wasted interests", Singhvi claimed.

08-10-2006, 12:25 AM

QUOTEI dont understand why the 2 Sinhas went to this hardcore chamcha.TV screen time.
Queen kicked out Ajit Jogi but now he is back as her right hand. Nutwar is much bigger. Don't forget whole royal clan/Princely states will support him. Its all about "Pahari ka Saval hai". Ofcourse election money comes through "good" connections. Nutwar is safe and so is Queen. Friends in crime never part easily.

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