Indian news & views briefly

NOV 7: Natwar Singh will step down as India's foreign minister during an inquiry into claims that he benefited from the UN's oil-for-food program for Iraq but will stay in the cabinet, it was announced.

Singh will remain in the cabinet as minister without portfolio and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will take over the post of foreign minister pending the outcome of the probe by a retired judge ordered earlier Monday..

DesPardes.com had reported earlier an analyst saying "it is possible that Congress may ask Natwar to resign until the dust settles down, just as BJP govt had asked George Fernandez to step down and made him rejoin after 'things settled down'..."

Monumental temple debuts in New Delhi

NEW DELHI, Nov 7: India's Muslim president, Sikh prime minister and Hindu nationalist opposition leader joined Sunday to open one of the biggest Hindu temples of modern times, a $45 million pink sandstone shrine to religious tolerance.

The Swaminarayan sect that built the temple -- the length of a soccer field and the height of a 12-story building -- runs another temple in Gujarat state, which was attacked by suspected Muslim militants in 2002, leaving 32 dead. Religious riots in the same state left more than 1,000 dead earlier that year.

Deity sought 'unity in diversity'

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and opposition leader L.K. Advani of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party joined in pushing open the door of the main hall of the Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple in New Delhi.

More than 7,000 sculptors built the colonnaded temple over five years. It sits on 234 pillars topped by nine domes and is bedecked by more than 20,000 statues of gods and goddesses. The presiding deity is Swaminarayan.

'Ours is a country of unity in diversity. This is the ideal preached by Swaminarayan,' Singh said. (AP)

LoC opening

NOV 6: Pakistan said on Sunday preparations were complete for opening border crossing points with India, but New Delhi said it was ready to open only one of five points, in its Poonch district, to help survivors of last month's quake.

Another crossing point would open on Wednesday and a third on Thursday. Work to clear the way to two other points, including the removal of landmines, was continuing.

Natwar 'in the dock'

NEW DEHI, Nov 6: 'Petro-bribe' scandal involving External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh has plunged the Indian government into its worst political crisis since the Singh government came to power in May last year.

In the wake of allegations in the Volcker Report that said Singh was linked to illegal payments in Iraq's oil-for-food deal, at least three Congress leaders feel that he should be removed from the Cabinet. Although the Left parties' governing bodies came to his defense, the BJP is planning pan-India demonstrations between 8th and the 15th of November, to demand his resignation. To bolster their demand, a delegation from the National Democratic Alliance, led by BJP, plans to meet President APJ Abdul Kalam shortly. There is no news yet if Kalam will receive them or not.

Government swings into action

Natwar continues to deny his involvement in the case. A government official revealed to the media that Natwar was "very agitated" while telling Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday that he was innocent. But it was clear on Friday that Natwar Singh had few friends; the government has formed a committee to look into the charges leveled by the Volcker report, and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the country's external intelligence agency, has already submitted a report to the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister yesterday held meetings with Sonia Gandhi and senior Ministers like P Chidambaram and Kapil Sibal, to discuss the mode of the investigation. "The Prime Minister wants a totally transparent inquiry as the people of the country will have to be convinced", the Prime Minster�s Media Adviser Sanjaya Baru informed the media.

The Congress, itself under suspicion, has so far not jettisoned Singh, but its defense of one of its senior-most members has been less than whole-hearted. Speculation is rife that many of Natwar Singh�s own party colleagues are seeing a chance to get rid of him and make him a �fall guy� to save the party�s reputation.

BJP demands CBI probe

The BJP, which has demanded Natwar Singh's resignation over the Volcker report, today demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the charges. "The facts stated in the Volcker report constitute sufficient material to merit registration of a criminal case by CBI. Under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act of 1976, no person can accept a foreign contribution or agree to acquire any currency from a foreign source on behalf of a political party," BJP party general secretary Arun Jaitely said at a press conference.

BJP General Secretary Pramod Mahajan says his party will launch agitation at various state capitals demanding Natwar Singh's resignation and impartial inquiry into the issue. The agitation will be taken to the district level if Natwar Singh does not pay heed to the demand for his resignation, he said. "Our party will also raise the issue in the winter session of Parliament commencing later this month," Mahajan added.

Government initiates thorough investigation

Faced with brewing political unrest, the Congress-led government has initiated a thorough investigation, which will examine four questions: did the Congress receive money, did any others receive money in the name of Natwar Singh or the Congress, the manner in which the Congress and Natwar Singh figure in the report, and whether any notice was sent to the party and the minister. The head of the probe panel will also be asked to meet Volcker and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to obtain more details about the episode. A visit to Iraq is not ruled out.

Andaleeb Sehgal questioned; raids on his residence and firm

Swinging into action to establish the veracity of the allegations, Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (IT) officials today questioned Andaleeb Sehgal, who is a close friend of Natwar�s son Jagat. Sehgal and his firm Hamdan Exports are named in the Volcker report as having paid $748,540 into the Jordan National Bank as �illegal surcharge� payments that finally reached the Saddam regime. These payments were made on behalf of Masefield against oil rights allotted to Natwar Singh and the Congress party, as per the report. Sehgal was interrogated for over eight hours on the company's business interests in Iraq during Saddam Hussein's rule, in a bid to discover whether the company has violated the Foreign Exchange Management Act. Simultaneously, IT and ED officials raided his residence and the company's office. Though no official announcement has been made till now, government sources claim that a decision had been taken in principle and an announcement was expected by Monday.

Hamdan Exports may be a shell company

An independent investigation revealed that Hamdan Exports currently does not have an import-export code issued by the Director General of Foreign Trade. The firm was last known to be in the list of exporters for de-registration by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority. This has given reason for enforcement agencies to suspect that Hamdan may be a �shell company.�

Laloo Prasad supports Natwar Singh

In a show of camaraderie, Natwar Singh today received support from RJD president Laloo Prasad who said he should not resign on the "baseless" charges. Describing Natwar as a "strong pillar" of the UPA government, Lalu Prasad hit out at the opposition NDA for targeting him on "baseless grounds." "The basic interest of the NDA it seems is to destabilize the Manmohan Singh government," Prasad told PTI.

The common man�s viewpoint

Most people have formed a similar opinion and feel that the scandal has spiraled out of proportion. "The insistence for Natwar Singh�s resignation shows that instead of waiting for the accusation to be proved, politically experienced persons like BJP President L K Advani, are using the charge to their advantage", feels Ruchir Mehta, a professor at the Delhi University. The word on the street is that the issue has taken the form of political mud slinging. "How can you hang someone without proving him guilty, " questioned Narmada Gupta, a Delhi shopkeeper.

Media comment

"Much of this is, of course, in the realm of guesswork. But what is undeniable is that the mere mention of Singh�s name in a report by an international institution casts an immediate shadow over him and weakens not only the man but also the post. Singh will not be able to attend to his official duties � which include meeting and negotiating with international leaders � with a cloud over his head. This will impact Indian foreign policy and affect the country�s standing on various critical issues that are coming up, the possible vote on Iran at the United Nations being the most immediate."

"There is also the question of probity in public office. Which is why if the government does announce an official probe, Singh must step down till it declares a verdict. If he is innocent, as he says, then he has nothing to worry. But till an independent panel reaches the same conclusion, Singh has no business to continue in his official position." writes Daily News & Analysis, India.

(DesPardes News Report with input from Jasmeen Dugal, DP's Delhi Correspondent)

Natwar 'may go'

NOV 4: Resignation of external affairs minister Natwar Singh appears imminent. The timing of the announcement is expected to coincide with the government formally notifying a probe into the controversial Volcker report on Saddam era oil for food program, which has named him along with the Congress party as a non-contractual beneficiary.

One analyst thinks it is possible that Congress may ask Natwar to resign until the dust settles down, just as BJP govt had asked George Fernandez to step down and made him rejoin after 'things settled down'....."

Non-stop flight to US for Rs 45,000

New Delhi, Nov. 3: US-based Continental Airlines has launched the first ever non-stop flight service from India to the US, fulfilling a major need for Indian travelers. The airline has started a daily non-stop flight from New Delhi to New York effective Thursday.

The journey from New Delhi to New York will take nearly 16 hours (westward) while the return journey will take nearly 14 hours (eastward). Significantly, the airline has chosen to operate its non-stop flights out of New Delhi instead of Mumbai. �This is not a reflection on the Mumbai market, but our conclusion is that there is a tremendous market waiting to be tapped for non-stop flights to the US from Delhi,� said Continental Airlines senior vice-president John Walker.

The airline is operating a Boeing 777-200ER (extended range) for the flight. The aircraft has a capacity of 283 passengers. There are 48 business class seats while the rest of the seats are economy class.

A return ticket is priced at Rs 45,000. �No other airline is operating non-stop flights from India to the US,� said Mr Walker.

Currently, passengers have to travel via Europe for a stopover enroute to the US. Most airlines break journey in major European capitals for refueling. The non-stop service will be a huge relief for passengers traveling on the India-US route as they do not have to waste time transiting European airports. (Source: Deccan Chronicle)