Even as Congress president Sonia Gandhi said she was not hurt at the revelations of her former aide Natwar Singh and she will write her own autobiography to reveal the truth, knives were out in the Congress against as to on whose advise, she and her daughter Priyanka Gandhi visited Singh's residence, in a bid to block the tell-all book.
Senior most Congress leaders in private told dna they were distraught at this immature political step, saying the visit ahead of the launch of book was almost an indirect confirmation and lending credibility to the revelations.
Singh was considered amongst few confidants of the party's First Family alongwith Suman Dubey and Satish Sharma, the coterie with whom Mrs Gandhi would share family secrets and issues.
Those close to her believe even though she backed former prime minister Manmohan Singh and her political advisor Ahmed Patel, she never gave them or their families access to her private life.
While Mrs Gandhi kept her coterie out of power circuit, Natwar Singh was the only one chosen as foreign minister in 2004. Sources here told dna, that before his removal in December 2005 in the wake of the controversy over his alleged involvement in the Iraq Oil-for-Food scandal, he had already become a problem for the prime minister, disregarding him, by flaunting his closeness to the 10 Janpath. "He (Natwar Singh) had to be admonished once and the PM even had complained to Mrs Gandhi, for his resorting to building up momentum against the proposed India-US nuclear deal within the party and the government even while heading the foreign office," said a former cabinet minister.
Meanwhile, Mrs Gandhi, known for her silence, first time reacted within a day of Natwar's claim that she did not sacrifice the PM's post in 2004 because of "inner voice," saying she is not hurt and she will write her own autobiography to reveal the truth. Unlike of her to react to any personal charges, she said, "I will write my own book, then truth will come out, then you will know everything... I am serious about writing it." She took the story told by Natwar in her stride as just yet another attack. She said she is used to such attacks.
"What can I say when asked, are you hurt? Why should I be hurt? I can't be hurt. I have seen my husband getting assassinated. I saw my mother-in-law riddled with bullets. What can hurt me more? Lot many people say many things about us. I am used to these attacks. I am far from getting hurt with these things...Let them continue to do this, it will not affect me...They can continue to do this if they so please," Sonia said. Natwar seems to have spurred Sonia into writing the autobiography as he tried to reveal her secret as then part of her inner group.
Rajya Sabha opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad dismissed Natwar's contention saying it was his frustration that was coming out because he got no post in the party and because he became a persona non-grata at 10, Janpath. Even former prime minister Manmohan Singh said Natwar Singh was marketing his product with the sensational revelations and dismissed his contention that PMO files were sent to the Congress president for approval. He also used the occasion to attack his former media adviser Sanjaya Baru, saying he too had tried to market his book by making certain claims. "This is their way of trying to market their product," the former PM said.
At the official party briefing, Congress came down heavily on Natwar Singh, accusing him of misusing the confidential information he was privy to due to his position with an outburst based on distorted and non existing facts for commercial purpose of advancing his just-to-be published book.
Party spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhavi made it clear that the Congress denies "all allegations, innuendos and insinuations" by him on the eve of publication of the book to boost its sales and that too immediately after the (parliamentary) elections after a steadied silence for nine long years. Another party leader Parveen Davar asked Natwar Singh to learn from Mahatma Gandhi's aide Mahadev Desai and Indira Gandhi's aide Sharda Prasad, who kept secrets to themselves till the end.
Natwar rakes up Sonia's Italian origin
Estranged Gandhi family loyalist K Natwar Singh, a former external affairs minister, on Thursday raked up Sonia Gandhi's Italian origin, suggesting that her ruthless side came from it as no Indian would have treated me like she did to him.
Singh (83), who quit Congress in 2008 after he had to resign from the UPA-I government in 2005 over his alleged involvement in Iraqi food-for-oil scam, also said Indian Peace-Keeping Force (IPKF) was sent to Sri Lanka in 1987 by the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi without clear briefings and objectives and that his Lankan policy ended in his assassination.
Sonia Gandhi does not have a reply to the issues raised by Natwar Singh. She is not telling if she had gone to Natwar Singh to stop him from writing the book - Shahnawaz Hussain, BJP spokesperson
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