K. Natwar Singh
Encyclopedia
Kunwar Natwar Singh, popularly known as K. Natwar Singh (born May 16, 1931, Jaghina, Bharatpur, Rajastan, India
) is an India
n politician and former cabinet
minister. On December 7, 2005, he was removed from his post as Minister in charge of External Affairs under a cloud of scandal and became a minister without portfolio
. Named by the U.N. Independent Enquiry Committee (popularly known as Volcker committee
) as a beneficiary of illegal payoffs in Iraqi oil scam
, he was forced to resign from the Cabinet on December 6, 2005.
He is married to the daughter of His Late Highness Maharajadhiraj Yadavindra Singh of Patiala Maharajkumari Heminder Kaur, and is hence brother-in-law to His Highness Amarinder Singh
, the current Maharaja of Patiala
and a former chief minister of Punjab
.
and Scindia School
, Gwalior. He was an undergraduate at St. Stephen's College, Delhi
. He subsequently studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
University and at Peking University
in China
.
(IFS) in 1953 and served for 31 years. One of his earliest assignments was in Beijing, China (1956–58). He was then posted to New York
with the Permanent Mission of India, (1961–66) and as India's representative to Executive Board of UNICEF, (1962–66). Singh served on several important UN committees between 1963 and 1966. In 1966, he was posted to the Prime Minister's Secretariat under Mrs Indira Gandhi
. Singh was part of the Indian delegation to the Heads of Commonwealth Meeting
in Kingston, Jamaica
, 1975.
He was an Indian Delegate to the 30th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
, New York
, Heads of Commonwealth Meeting, Lusaka
, Zambia
in 1979 and the 35th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York. Singh accompanied Ms. Indira Gandhi on her State visit to the U.S.
in 1982. He served as Executive Trustee, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (U.N.I.T.A.R.) appointed by the Secretary-General, United Nations
for six years (1981–86). He also served on the Expert Group appointed by the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, London
in 1982 He was appointed Secretary-General of the Seventh Non-aligned summit in New Delhi
held in 1983 and Chief Coordinator of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in New Delhi in the same year. He served as Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs from March 1982 to November 1984.
He received the Padma Bhushan
, a distinguished award from the government of the India, in 1984.
and was elected to the eighth Lok Sabha
from Bharatpur constituency in Rajasthan
. In 1985 he became a minister of state in Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's
council with the portfolios of steel, coal and mines, and agriculture. In 1986, he became minister of state for external affairs i.e. in charge of foreign relations and stayed in this post until 1989, when the government was defeated in the general elections. He was then elected President of the UN Conference on Disarmament and Development held in New York in 1987. He led the Indian delegation to the 42nd Session of the UN General Assembly.
In the 1989 general elections, he contested and lost the Mathura seat.
During the Narsimha Rao Government Singh, along with Arjun Singh
& N D Tiwari, had differences with Narsimha Rao and thence left the Congress Party to form the All India Indira Congress (Tiwari)
.
Singh returned in the twelfth Lok Sabha again in 1998 from Bharatpur, but this time in opposition. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha
from Rajasthan in 2002 and when the Congress came back to power, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
appointed him to the cabinet
as Minister for External affairs on May 23. He had a controversial tenure and was widely criticized for his allegedly intemperate remarks. He was later suspended and then had to resign from the government in the wake of the Iraqi food-for-oil scam. His son Jagat Singh was also expelled from the Congress. Natwar made the announcement in the presence of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia at a Bharatiya Janata Party-sponsored Jat rally in Vidyadhar Nagar. He also launched a blistering attack on Sonia Gandhi.
Thereafter, in mid 2008 both Natwar and his son joined Mayawati's BSP only to be expelled later in November, 2008. He and Jagat were expelled from BSP for indulging in anti-party activities and were accused of indiscipline and lack of faith in the Bahujan Samaj Movement. Natwar Singh was demanding a Rajya Sabha seat which was refused, four months after he joined Uttar Pradesh's ruling party.
Iraq
i Oil for Food scandal. The Independent Inquiry Committee
under Paul Volcker
had reported on October 27, 2005 that he and his son Jagat Singh were non-contractual beneficiaries of the Oil for Food programme. Allegedly, they, along with Jagat Singh's childhood friend Andaleeb Sehgal, were associated with a company called Hamdan Exports, which acted as an intermediary for illegal sales of oil to a Swiss firm named Masefield AG. In return, Masefield had to pay kickbacks, (termed "surcharges") partly to Saddam Hussein
's regime and partly to Natwar Singh and others. It was alleged that such surcharges were Hussein's way of securing support from politicians around the world and that this influenced Natwar Singh to lobby against US policies in Iraq (in particular, US sanctions on Saddam Hussein). This controversy heated up when Anil Mathrani, then Indian Ambassador to Croatia
, and a close aide to Natwar Singh alleged that Natwar Singh had used an official visit to Iraq to procure oil coupons for Jagat Singh from Saddam's regime.
This scandal represented a serious crisis for the ruling coalition. On March 26, 2006 it was reported that the Indian Enforcement Directorate (ED), investigating the money trail in the 'oil-for-food' scam, had finally tracked a sum of Rs 8 crore transferred from London-based NRI businessman Aditya Khanna's bank account to his own [NRI account] in a Delhi bank and later withdrawn from this account to be allegedly distributed among Indian beneficiaries of the scam.
In 2008, Natwar Singh resigned membership in the Congress Party after earlier having his membership suspended.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) is an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n politician and former cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
minister. On December 7, 2005, he was removed from his post as Minister in charge of External Affairs under a cloud of scandal and became a minister without portfolio
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...
. Named by the U.N. Independent Enquiry Committee (popularly known as Volcker committee
Paul Volcker Committee
The Paul Volcker Committee was formed to investigate alleged corruption and fraud in the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme in Iraq....
) as a beneficiary of illegal payoffs in Iraqi oil scam
Oil-for-Food Programme
The Oil-for-Food Programme , established by the United Nations in 1995 was established with the stated intent to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food, medicine, and other humanitarian needs for ordinary Iraqi citizens without allowing Iraq to boost its military...
, he was forced to resign from the Cabinet on December 6, 2005.
He is married to the daughter of His Late Highness Maharajadhiraj Yadavindra Singh of Patiala Maharajkumari Heminder Kaur, and is hence brother-in-law to His Highness Amarinder Singh
Amarinder Singh
Captain Amarinder Singh . He served as the Chief Minister of Punjab from 2002 to 2007 and presently serves as the President of Punjab PCC. He currently resides in New Moti Bagh Palace, Patiala.-Personal life:...
, the current Maharaja of Patiala
Maharaja of Patiala
The Maharaja of Patiala was a maharaja in India and the ruler of the princely state of Patiala in Punjab. The first Maharaja of Patiala was Baba Ala Singh , who was granted the title by Ahmed Shah Abdali of Afghanistan in 1764....
and a former chief minister of Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
.
Education and early life
Natwar Singh attended Mayo CollegeMayo College
Mayo College is a public school founded by the 6th Earl of Mayo, who was Viceroy of India from 1869 to 1872.The school is located in Ajmer, in the state of Rajasthan, India....
and Scindia School
Scindia School
The Scindia School is Indian boarding school for boys, established in 1897, and situated in a historic fortress known as Gwalior Fort, in the city of Gwalior, India...
, Gwalior. He was an undergraduate at St. Stephen's College, Delhi
St. Stephen's College, Delhi
St. Stephen's College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi located in Delhi, India. The college admits both undergraduates and post-graduates, and awards degrees under the purview of the University. Famous for its rich history and many traditions, St...
. He subsequently studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable as the only college founded by Cambridge townspeople: it was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
University and at Peking University
Peking University
Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
Diplomatic career
Singh joined the Indian Foreign ServiceIndian Foreign Service
The Indian Foreign Service is the foreign service of India. It is the body of career diplomats of India.The Indian Foreign Service is part of the Central Civil Services of the Government of India...
(IFS) in 1953 and served for 31 years. One of his earliest assignments was in Beijing, China (1956–58). He was then posted to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with the Permanent Mission of India, (1961–66) and as India's representative to Executive Board of UNICEF, (1962–66). Singh served on several important UN committees between 1963 and 1966. In 1966, he was posted to the Prime Minister's Secretariat under Mrs Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
. Singh was part of the Indian delegation to the Heads of Commonwealth Meeting
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
in Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, 1975.
He was an Indian Delegate to the 30th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Heads of Commonwealth Meeting, Lusaka
Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
, Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
in 1979 and the 35th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York. Singh accompanied Ms. Indira Gandhi on her State visit to the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1982. He served as Executive Trustee, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (U.N.I.T.A.R.) appointed by the Secretary-General, United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
for six years (1981–86). He also served on the Expert Group appointed by the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1982 He was appointed Secretary-General of the Seventh Non-aligned summit in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
held in 1983 and Chief Coordinator of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in New Delhi in the same year. He served as Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs from March 1982 to November 1984.
He received the Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
, a distinguished award from the government of the India, in 1984.
Career as politician
In 1984 Singh joined the Congress PartyIndian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
and was elected to the eighth Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
from Bharatpur constituency in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. In 1985 he became a minister of state in Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...
council with the portfolios of steel, coal and mines, and agriculture. In 1986, he became minister of state for external affairs i.e. in charge of foreign relations and stayed in this post until 1989, when the government was defeated in the general elections. He was then elected President of the UN Conference on Disarmament and Development held in New York in 1987. He led the Indian delegation to the 42nd Session of the UN General Assembly.
In the 1989 general elections, he contested and lost the Mathura seat.
During the Narsimha Rao Government Singh, along with Arjun Singh
Arjun Singh
Arjun Singh was an Indian politician from the Indian National Congress party. He was the Union Minister of Human Resource Development in the Manmohan Singh cabinet from 2004 to 2009....
& N D Tiwari, had differences with Narsimha Rao and thence left the Congress Party to form the All India Indira Congress (Tiwari)
All India Indira Congress (Tiwari)
The All India Indira Congress was a political party in India set up by dissident Indian National Congress party leaders Narayan Dutt Tiwari, Arjun Singh and K. Natwar Singh. The party later merged with the Congress party when Sonia Gandhi took over the party....
.
Singh returned in the twelfth Lok Sabha again in 1998 from Bharatpur, but this time in opposition. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...
from Rajasthan in 2002 and when the Congress came back to power, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
appointed him to the cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
as Minister for External affairs on May 23. He had a controversial tenure and was widely criticized for his allegedly intemperate remarks. He was later suspended and then had to resign from the government in the wake of the Iraqi food-for-oil scam. His son Jagat Singh was also expelled from the Congress. Natwar made the announcement in the presence of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia at a Bharatiya Janata Party-sponsored Jat rally in Vidyadhar Nagar. He also launched a blistering attack on Sonia Gandhi.
Thereafter, in mid 2008 both Natwar and his son joined Mayawati's BSP only to be expelled later in November, 2008. He and Jagat were expelled from BSP for indulging in anti-party activities and were accused of indiscipline and lack of faith in the Bahujan Samaj Movement. Natwar Singh was demanding a Rajya Sabha seat which was refused, four months after he joined Uttar Pradesh's ruling party.
Oil for Food Scandal
Singh was removed from the post on December 6, 2005 (though retaining a cabinet role as minister without portfolio) following a controversy over his alleged involvement in the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i Oil for Food scandal. The Independent Inquiry Committee
Paul Volcker Committee
The Paul Volcker Committee was formed to investigate alleged corruption and fraud in the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme in Iraq....
under Paul Volcker
Paul Volcker
Paul Adolph Volcker, Jr. is an American economist. He was the Chairman of the Federal Reserve under United States Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan from August 1979 to August 1987. He is widely credited with ending the high levels of inflation seen in the United States in the 1970s and...
had reported on October 27, 2005 that he and his son Jagat Singh were non-contractual beneficiaries of the Oil for Food programme. Allegedly, they, along with Jagat Singh's childhood friend Andaleeb Sehgal, were associated with a company called Hamdan Exports, which acted as an intermediary for illegal sales of oil to a Swiss firm named Masefield AG. In return, Masefield had to pay kickbacks, (termed "surcharges") partly to Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's regime and partly to Natwar Singh and others. It was alleged that such surcharges were Hussein's way of securing support from politicians around the world and that this influenced Natwar Singh to lobby against US policies in Iraq (in particular, US sanctions on Saddam Hussein). This controversy heated up when Anil Mathrani, then Indian Ambassador to Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, and a close aide to Natwar Singh alleged that Natwar Singh had used an official visit to Iraq to procure oil coupons for Jagat Singh from Saddam's regime.
This scandal represented a serious crisis for the ruling coalition. On March 26, 2006 it was reported that the Indian Enforcement Directorate (ED), investigating the money trail in the 'oil-for-food' scam, had finally tracked a sum of Rs 8 crore transferred from London-based NRI businessman Aditya Khanna's bank account to his own [NRI account] in a Delhi bank and later withdrawn from this account to be allegedly distributed among Indian beneficiaries of the scam.
In 2008, Natwar Singh resigned membership in the Congress Party after earlier having his membership suspended.
Books published
- E.M.Forster : A Tribute,(On Forster's Eighty Fifth Birthday), editor, with Contributions by Ahmed Ali, Narayana Menon, Raja Rao & Santha Rama Rau, New York, 1964
- The Legacy of Nehru, New York, 1965
- Tales from Modern India, New York, 1966
- Stories from India, London, 1971
- Maharaja Suraj MalMaharaja Suraj MalMaharaja Suraj Mal was ruler of Bharatpur in Rajasthan in India. He has been described by a contemporary historian as "the Plato of the Jat people" and by a modern writer as the "Jat Ulysses", because of his political sagacity, steady intellect and clear vision.-Early life:Surajmal was born on...
(1707–63), London, 1981 - Curtain Raisers, Delhi,1984
- Profiles & Letters, Delhi, 1997
- The Magnificent Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala (1891–1938), Delhi, 1997
- Heart to Heart, Delhi, 2003.