'FDI in politics'

The external affairs minister, Kunwar Natwar Singh, can be forgiven for feeling like the Wodehousian character, Roderick Spode, who while out for a walk in the garden stepped on the sharp end of a hoe whereupon the handle leapt up and conked him on the nose. The shriek of surprised outrage that Mr Spode let out is well-matched by Mr Natwar Singh. Unlike Mr Spode, however, who had no one to sympathise with him, Mr Natwar Singh has found an ally in no less a person than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The latter has informed the nation that there is "insufficient evidence" to do anything just yet. This was in response to the Opposition's demand that Mr Natwar Singh be sacked forthwith for being mentioned as one of the illegal beneficiaries of Iraq's oil-for-food programme.

Mr Natwar Singh has claimed that there is some kind of a conspiracy against him and the Congress Party (which has also been named). However, given that this was a UN investigation, carried out by a person of impeccable credentials, Paul Volcker, the former chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Mr Natwar Singh merely sounds stupid. Readers will recall that, even at the time of the first revelation by Swedish radio about Bofors pay-offs, the Cabinet met with Rajiv Gandhi in the chair and declared some kind of conspiracy against India. So Mr Natwar Singh is not being very original. It is highly unlikely that Mr Volcker would have ever heard of him or that the UN has it in for him and his party. It was an impartial investigation based on bank records, and the names of Natwar Singh and the Congress Party presumably popped up in the documents.

It is not for the UN or Mr Volcker to explain anything; it is up to the Congress Party and Mr Natwar Singh to do so. Interestingly, the Congress Party has defended itself but not Mr Natwar Singh. That task was left to the Prime Minister, who would probably have preferred to have kept his counsel on the matter but was, perhaps, left with no choice. In the event, both Singhs are looking worse for the wear while the Congress brazens it out since no other course of action is feasible.

The Volcker report has named several Indian companies also. Most of them have chosen not to comment, or to issue bland denials. In view of the fact that there are hundreds of companies from all over the world whose names have been listed, it would seem that Saddam Hussein's government was systematically exploiting the oil-for-food programme. While in the case of these companies, it could be an extenuating circumstance that they either did not know that such payments were being made by their agents, or that this was the only way of getting a slice of the Iraqi business, there seems to be no reason why either Mr Natwar Singh or the Congress party should have become involved as "non-contracting parties". Coming as it does, hard on the heels of the Mitrokhin revelations, there is a certain credibility to the Volcker report.

It is hard to see how Mr Natwar Singh can function credibly any longer as India's foreign minister. It is one thing for Manmohan Singh to soldier on with the many crooks in his Cabinet. But it is quite another to have someone who has been indicted by the UN represent India at the very same UN! It would be best therefore if Mr Natwar Singh were persuaded to step down. If not, he should at the least be shifted to the panchayati raj or the steel ministry.