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MEANWHILE IN DELHI

It may be harder than we imagine for Sonia Gandhi to let go of Natwar Singh. Ever since the Volcker revelations hit the headlines, Sonia has been desperately trying to separate Natwar from her persona. However, his links to the Gandhi family go back so long in time that he's seen more as a much-loved elderly uncle to the dynasty than a Congress politician. After all, Sonia chose him above everyone else to help her run the two main family trusts, the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund and the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust. And she gave him an office in the cherished bungalow that was part of the residential complex in which Indira Gandhi lived as prime minister.

Not many in the Congress can boast of that kind of implicit confidence from the big boss. But the very reasons for Natwar's most favoured status at 10 Janpath are proving to be a millstone around Sonia's neck now. As she attempts to extricate her party from the Volcker mess, the question that's haunting her is whether she can dump Natwar without being hit herself. How do you deny someone who has reached where he is because of you? Till she finds an answer, she may have no option but to protect Natwar. Otherwise she will become the target.

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Natwar's close friendship with the Gandhi family dates back to the time he was posted in Zambia. This was during the dark days of the Emergency and Indira Gandhi was desperately trying to get legitimacy for her decision to suspend democracy. Natwar rendered her a service that endeared him to her forever. He managed to persuade Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda to write Indira Gandhi a letter praising the Emergency. Now, Kaunda was a towering figure in the Non-Aligned Movement and appreciation from him came as a huge morale booster for Mrs Gandhi. From then on, Natwar had anytime access to the Gandhi household.

The cherry on the cake for Natwar was the NAM Summit of 1983. Indira Gandhi specially called him back from Islamabad, where he was posted as high commissioner, and gave him the responsibility of organising the event. It was perhaps the biggest international conference held in India, attended by NAM heroes of that era like Fidel Castro. Natwar was in his elements and his crowning moment was his appointment as secretary general of the Summit. That was the highlight of his career in the foreign service, which probably explains why there's more than just a touch of wistfulness when he talks about NAM.

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Natwar has never been shy about flaunting his special relationship with the Gandhis and because of his arrogant manner with other Congress leaders, he's never been popular. The friction between him and Manmohan Singh, for instance, pre-dates the present government. Congress folklore is full of stories about their clashes during their long years in the opposition. According to party circles, Natwar was so rude to Singh sometimes that others used to feel embarrassed on his behalf. And he got away with it because Sonia rarely ticked him off. When Natwar was particularly obnoxious, she just looked at him disapprovingly over the top of her glasses and he would subside.
Email: a_jerath@dnaindia.net