Dear Prime Minister,
Ever since the UN-sponsored independent committee headed by Shri Paul Volcker named External Affairs Minister Shri K. Natwar Singh as a “non-contractual beneficiary” of payoffs by the erstwhile Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq, the credibility of India in the international community has taken a nosedive.
It is bad enough that the Minister who represents India in world affairs is implicated in a murky international scandal. What compounds the offence is that he continues to remain External Affairs Minister, with your full backing. Your comment that the UN-sponsored report contains “insufficient” evidence to warrant “any adverse conclusion” constitutes a total disregard of available facts. By rubbishing the report to score a narrow political point, you are mocking an important initiative to make the United Nations more accountable. Your defence of an errant colleague has tarnished the quality of our democracy.
Mr Prime Minister, the observations of the Volcker Report on Shri Natwar Singh are well known to you. For your benefit, I would like to highlight a few coincidences:
Mr Prime Minister you will agree that there are far too many coincidences in this story. Some of them could do with some explanation.
In any case there is a sufficient body of evidence to warrant a review of your initial clean chit to Shri Natwar Singh. Prima facie, there is compelling evidence to suggest that Shri Natwar Singh allowed himself to be used as a lobbyist for Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq. The charges need to be investigated fully by an independent body. However, pending such an inquiry, the Volcker Committee’s indictment is sufficient ground for demanding Shri Natwar Singh’s resignation from the Government.
Mr Prime Minister, you will have noticed that in suggesting a monumental conspiracy to discredit him, your beleaguered External Affair Minister has lost the ability to distinguish personal interests from national interests. His statement that the Volcker Report is based on “forgeries” is indicative of an imbalance that does not lend itself to good diplomacy.
Shri Natwar Singh today stands tainted and seriously compromised. A person indicted by a UN report for financial impropriety cannot uphold India on the world stage. His credentials will always be suspect.
There is also an immediate need to register a criminal case in the matter followed by investigative actions such as interrogation of relevant persons in India, impounding of their passports, issuance of letter of request to Iraq, Switzerland and the United States of America of Co-operation and evidence collection.
Mr Prime Minister, I appeal to you to rise above party political interests. Shri Natwar Singh’s continuation in office is a national embarrassment. I urge you to drop him from your Council of Ministers before India becomes a laughing stock in the eyes of the world.
With warm regards.
Yours sincerely,
[ARUN JAITLEY]
Dr. Man Mohan Singh
Hon,ble Prime Minister of India
7, Race Course Road
New Delhi.
Ever since the UN-sponsored independent committee headed by Shri Paul Volcker named External Affairs Minister Shri K. Natwar Singh as a “non-contractual beneficiary” of payoffs by the erstwhile Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq, the credibility of India in the international community has taken a nosedive.
It is bad enough that the Minister who represents India in world affairs is implicated in a murky international scandal. What compounds the offence is that he continues to remain External Affairs Minister, with your full backing. Your comment that the UN-sponsored report contains “insufficient” evidence to warrant “any adverse conclusion” constitutes a total disregard of available facts. By rubbishing the report to score a narrow political point, you are mocking an important initiative to make the United Nations more accountable. Your defence of an errant colleague has tarnished the quality of our democracy.
Mr Prime Minister, the observations of the Volcker Report on Shri Natwar Singh are well known to you. For your benefit, I would like to highlight a few coincidences:
- The coincidence of the exact sum of $748,540 collected by Masefield AG as illegal surcharge being deposited by Shri Andleeb Sehgal and his company M/s Hamdan Export into accounts in the Jordan National Bank.
- The coincidence of M/s Hamdan Export and Shri Andleeb Sehgal undertaking a job when the specified non-contractual beneficiary is Shri K.Natwar Singh and the Congress Party.
- The coincidence of M/s Hamdan Export and Shri Andleeb Sehgal being the link between Iraqi recipients of the surcharge and Masefield AG of Switzerland.
- The coincidence of the families of Shri Jagat Singh and Shri Andleeb Sehgal being on the most intimate of terms.
- The coincidence of Shri Jagat Singh and Shri Andleeb Sehgal travelling to Jordan around the time payments were made into accounts in the Jordan National Bank.
- The coincidence of Shri K. Natwar Singh and Shri Jagat Singh travelling to Iraq together.
- The coincidence of Shri Jagat Singh being the son of Shri K. Natwar Singh.
Mr Prime Minister you will agree that there are far too many coincidences in this story. Some of them could do with some explanation.
In any case there is a sufficient body of evidence to warrant a review of your initial clean chit to Shri Natwar Singh. Prima facie, there is compelling evidence to suggest that Shri Natwar Singh allowed himself to be used as a lobbyist for Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq. The charges need to be investigated fully by an independent body. However, pending such an inquiry, the Volcker Committee’s indictment is sufficient ground for demanding Shri Natwar Singh’s resignation from the Government.
Mr Prime Minister, you will have noticed that in suggesting a monumental conspiracy to discredit him, your beleaguered External Affair Minister has lost the ability to distinguish personal interests from national interests. His statement that the Volcker Report is based on “forgeries” is indicative of an imbalance that does not lend itself to good diplomacy.
Shri Natwar Singh today stands tainted and seriously compromised. A person indicted by a UN report for financial impropriety cannot uphold India on the world stage. His credentials will always be suspect.
There is also an immediate need to register a criminal case in the matter followed by investigative actions such as interrogation of relevant persons in India, impounding of their passports, issuance of letter of request to Iraq, Switzerland and the United States of America of Co-operation and evidence collection.
Mr Prime Minister, I appeal to you to rise above party political interests. Shri Natwar Singh’s continuation in office is a national embarrassment. I urge you to drop him from your Council of Ministers before India becomes a laughing stock in the eyes of the world.
With warm regards.
Yours sincerely,
[ARUN JAITLEY]
Dr. Man Mohan Singh
Hon,ble Prime Minister of India
7, Race Course Road
New Delhi.
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