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Natwar Singh stripped of External Affairs portfolio
by Ashok Dixit

     New Delhi: In a surprise move, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Monday stripped External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh of his portfolio in the wake of the contorversy generated by the Volcker Inquiry Commission that looked into the Oil-for-Food scam. Sources at the Prime Minister's official residence in Delhi said that Natwar Singh would continue as Minister without portfolio for the time being, and that the responsibilities of the External Affairs Ministry would be taken up by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Curtains came down on Natwar Singh's role as India's Foreign Minister, four days after former U.S.Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker had released a report that named both Natwar Singh and the Congress Party as illegal non-contractual beneficiaries of the Oil-for-Food deals. With the political implications of the charge gaining heat and publicity, despite Natwar's repeated denials of involvement and his adamant refusal to resign as the country's Foreign Minister, the Prime Minister appears to have had no other option but to strip him of the responsibility until further notice. The fact that a NDA delegation met President Kalam this afternoon and pressed for Natwar's resignation seems to broken the proverbial straw on the camel's back as far the Government was concerned. Natwar had been called in by the Prime Minister on Sunday to discuss the matter once again, but he had then ruled out rumours suggesting that he was planning to resign. Separately, however, the government had held a series of meetings with top leaders in the last few days to plan the verification process of the Volcker Report. So far, the Congress party has rubbished the BJP's demand of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry into the matter, saying that the BJP has no authority, moral or democratic, to ask for Natwar Singh's resignation.

     On Monday, the Government appointed former Supreme Court Chief Justice R.S.Pathak to head a one-man inquiry commission to look into the veracity of the Volcker Report, and the allegations thereof. Stating that his investigations would be unbiased, Justice Pathak, who has also been a judge at the International Court of Justice, The Hague, said he would be interacting with former U.N.Under Secretary-General, Ambassador Virendra Dayal, who has been appointed as the Government's pointsman for collecting and collating all information on the controversy that has hogged newspaper headlines in India for the past four days. "We shall see how it goes, what is necessary and I presume that the documentation which is being procured by Mr.Virender Dayal will be before me. In addition, if I find that I need more material on any particular aspect or the present material produced is not sufficient, then I shall take steps to get that material. And if necessary to take the assistance of people who are either being said to be involved in this entire scam and other people necessary. I should certainly try to get them to help me. It doesn't matter, it is a totally independent inquiry and all material pertinent to the reference will be looked into by me. There is no question of anything being held back," Pathak told reporters after being named to head the enquiry. Reacting to the news of Natwar being divested of the External Affairs portfolio, the BJP described it as a face-saving cover- up. Senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told ANI on phone that the appointment of Justice Pathak as a one-man inquiry commission also had no meaning, as such a commission had no locus standi to negotiate, interrogate or speak to international bodies like the UN.

    Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate, which is under the Union Finance Ministry is continuing with its questioning of Delhi- based exporter, Andaleeb Sehgal. Andaleeb Sehgal, Export Director of Hamdan Export, who is said to be a friend of Natwar Singh's son, Jagat Singh, was interrogated by a team of officials on Sunday and his various premises in the Indianc capital were raided. Reports said that on behalf of Sehgal's firm, a Swiss company Masefield AG lifted oil barrels under allotments to now ruling Congress party and Natwar Singh in 2001. The report by the UN -established Independent Inquiry Committee, led by former US Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker said, politicians in several countries were given oil vouchers that could be sold for a commission to help the former Iraqi leader in his attempt to get sanctions lifted. Volcker also has claimed that everyone listed was given a chance to clarify. The UN food-for-oil scheme began in 1996 and ended in 2003 and under the programme, Iraq was allowed to sell oil to buy food, medicine and other goods to ease the impact of sanctions. The UN report said some 2,200 companies made illicit payments of 1.8 billion dollar to Saddam's government under the scheme.

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