Jagat blames ED for leaking documents

NEW DELHI:  Former external affairs minister K Natwar Singh’s son Jagat has accused the Enforcement Directorate of leaking documents relating to the Volcker probe.

Jagat Singh, who is the Congress MLA from Lachhmangarh in Rajasthan, told DNA: “The ED has released the report to the whole world and everybody is talking about it. We have cooperated with them at all stages of the enquiry. But now it is beginning to look like a hoax, a farce. And the media has blown everything out of proportion.”

But he refused to comment on the report. “I need to see the documents to actually comment on them,” he said. “Everybody has been quoting ‘sources’, but nobody has presented palpable proof.”

Jagat said he wants to wait for Justice RS Pathak to submit his inquiry report before making any comment. He said he has faith in Justice Pathak, “but only if he takes time off to complete the inquiry instead of going to Australia and Italy on holiday.”

Asked if he would respect Pathak’s report, he said, “We will not honour anything until it is proven. Whether the reference is to Paul Volcker, the United Nations, or Justice Pathak, there has to be proof that we are guilty. Ever since the report has come, neither Natwar Singh nor the Congress party has received any written document from the UN or Volcker.”

Jagat steered clear of commenting on the fact that the Congress did not stand by his father. “My father did the honourable thing by resigning in the face of an inquiry,” he said. “Most politicians do the same. But yes, there is a lot of internal politics in a party and when political conspiracies take place they are multi-dimensional. But all those people who have slapped allegations against me and my father will have to swallow a bitter pill when the truth comes out. ‘Truth’ is the operative word here.”