Natwar, do it right

As one of the country8217;s most senior politicians, Natwar Singh should read this moment right and allow himself to go gently out of Indian public life. An inquiry panel headed by a former chief justice of India, R.S. Pathak, has found that the former external affairs minister and his MLA son, Jagat Singh, had indeed misused their positions and contacts to allow persons close to them clinch lucrative contracts from Saddam Hussein8217;s government in the oil-for-food scam. There is a suggestion that Natwar Singh could be preparing to go on the offensive on the issue. We would dissuade him from pursuing that track because it will not take him very far.

Indian politicians have a well-deserved reputation for digging their heels in and feigning innocence, even in the light of the most damning evidence against them. They protest too much, and for too long, bringing not just themselves but the very practice of politics in this country into disrepute. One of the hallmarks of a mature democracy is the accountability it demands from its politicians and a man with as sophisticated and as well-read as Natwar Singh should understand this more than many others. If he gracefully exits from public life, taking responsibility for past wrongdoing, he would only be doing what many politicians with redoubtable reputations 8212; from presidents to ministers 8212; have done in more mature democracies.

While it may be too early to give the Justice R.S. Pathak inquiry report an unqualified thumbs up, we need to commend the former chief justice for having concluded his work in good time 8212; with just one extension. This is rare in the history of inquiries in the country. Those involved in conducting similar exercises should perhaps take a leaf from the justice8217;s book. In fact if, after a more detailed scrutiny, it is found that Justice Pathak has followed his brief well, his inquiry report could be cited as a worthy precedent for future inquiries. It is of course impossible to eliminate misdemeanours completely from public life, but inquiries of this kind testify to the possibility of a political system to correct itself.