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| 'PM has no backbone' | | Natwar spews fire against two Union Ministers | |
B L KAK
NEW DELHI, AUG. 9: Clearly on the warpath following his suspension from the Congress party, former External Afairs Minister, K Natwar Singh, has hit back by calling Manmohan Singh a "weak and indecisive" Prime Minister who was unable to stand by his colleagues in difficulty. Without naming anyone, embittered Natwar Singh alleged that two Ministers in the UPA government had hatched a conspiracy against him.
Asked whether he was hinting at P Chidambaram, Finace Minister, and Kapil Sibal, Minister for Science and Technology, Natwar Singh told Karan Thapar in an interview for CNN-IBN: "It is for you to draw your own conclusion". Natwar Singh also alleged that he two Ministers had selected lawyers having prejudice against him to asit the Pathak Inquiry Authority, which probed the Iraqi OPil-for-Food scam and indicted him and his son, Jagat Singh, for misusing their positions to get oil contracts for persons close to them.
Commenting on the role of Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, Natwar Singh said: "It gives me no pleasure to say that he is a weak PM, unable to stand by his colleagues. He (Manmohan) has no backbone.” Natwar added: "I have worked with him (Manmohan Singh) for 40 years ...he knew nothing of foreign affairs...when I am in difficulty he does not have the courage or camaraderie to say something in my favour".
Natwar claimed that Justice Pathak used to “hang around” him to get an entry into the International Court of Justice in The Hague. He called the Pathak report politically motivated. He maintained that signatures on the three letters purported to have been written by him to Iraqi oil minister about his son Jagat and Delhi-based businessman Andaleeb Sehgal were his but claimed the language was not his.
"The signatures are mine but the content is not mine. I have no idea who wrote the letter ... the language is not mine the letters are a cut and paste job," he said when asked about the introductory letter given by him to Sehgal. Natwar said he had no idea who had "concocted" the letters. Expressing his apprehension over the authenticity of the letters, he said "no originals were shown to me (by the Pathak Authority)."
On the letters given to Jagat, Natwar said: "I may have written those letters." He alleged there was a "deliberate attempt" by the Pathak Authority not to include affidavits filed by him, his son Jagat and Andaleeb Sehgal. "Andaleeb's affidavit is not mentioned, my affidavit is not mentioned, my son's affidavit is not mentioned (in the Pathak report)," he said.
However, Natwar refused to make any comment on Congress President Sonia Gandhi. " I will not say a single word against Sonia Gandhi," he said.
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