Ground slipping, Natwar still digs his heels in

This campaign, as his son Jagat Singh, also one of the names under the scanner, had told The Indian Express yesterday, was at the behest of his father’s “enemies in the party.”

Earlier, at a function to release a book on Mangal Pandey, asked for his response, Natwar said: “There is a struggle, we will face it.’’

The first person he had to face after that was the Prime Minister who leaves for Moscow tomorrow. Significantly, National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, who is monitoring the Pathak-Dayal probe into the Volcker Committee revelations, was also present.

Sources said that while the PM heard Natwar out, the latter took umbrage at the UPA leadership for not coming to his aid after the Mathrani’s remarks and was disappointed that even the Enforcement Directorate was asked to take cognizance of the former Croatian Ambassador’s utterances. Said a senior PMO official: “I can assure you that there was no resignation from Natwar Singh.’’

A senior Cabinet Minister said that Natwar had also sought a meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi but there was no word from 10, Janpath. The UPA leadership is wary of sacking Natwar as there are strong indications that the former External Affairs Minister may point fingers at many in the Congress party. This was discussed at the core group meeting on Friday and even at the discussion in Parliament between PM, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and S&T Minister Kapil Sibal.

Though the Opposition is sharpening its knives to expand the ambit and target Sonia Gandhi in Parliament on Monday, the PM personally wants to wait for the probe results but the party wants a political decision on Natwar to cut its losses.

Meanwhile, the man at the centre of it, Mathrani, returned today after being ordered to catch the first flight out of Zagreb to India.

For the past three weeks, Mathrani, who was under transfer, resisted giving up his ambassadorial assignment in Croatia after the heat increased on him following Natwar’s removal as External Affairs Minister.

Sources said he delayed obtaining an agreement from Croatian authorities for India to appoint a new Ambassador despite repeated reminders from New Delhi.

He finally relented and send the agreement last week for South Block to complete the necessary formalities to appoint Rajiv Mishra as the next Indian envoy.

Mathrani was appointed Ambassador on December 29, 2004 and handed over his credentials in January 2005. But he never stayed in Zagreb for even three months at a stretch. He was back in Delhi in March and subsequently was transferred out, strangely on Natwar’s approval.

Between June and August, he was again in Delhi but the transfer was never executed even after MEA had identified Mishra for the job. It was Natwar again, sources say, who regularised his absence and allowed him to return to Croatia. Soon, he was back again in Delhi by September and stayed on.

When The Indian Express had contacted him in early November, he claimed to be here for medical reasons. He met Natwar on November 3 and in less than a week’s time returned to Zagreb only to be finally replaced.