Privilege motion not targeted at PM : Natwar

New Delhi, Aug 7: A mellowed former external affairs minister Natwar Singh today said his motion of privilege in the Rajya Sabha over the leak of the Pathak Inquiry Authority was not targeted at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh personally.

Indicating that his ire was only against "someone" in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), he told mediapersons that he had nothing personally against Dr Singh. He, however, did not say who exactly was the person in the PMO.

" I have nothing against Dr Manmohan Singh. My complaint is against the PMO, as an institution. There is no issue with the Prime Minister," he said after Parliament was adjourned over the leak of the report, which was today placed before the houses officially, earlier in the day.

When his attention was drawn that the PMO had already clarified that the report was not leaked out from the South Block, he said, " ''Then it is fine.'' Mr Singh said he was not bothered about what the Congress party would decide on his serving a privilege notice against the Prime Minister. " They can not hang me in the air,'' he quipped.

Mr Singh, who was indicted along with his son Jagat Singh by the Pathak Inquiry Authority which went into corrupt Iraqi oil deals during the Saddam Hussein regime in 2001, said he stood by his plan to press for a privilege motion.

Asked if he did not foresee expulsion from the Congress in the event of his moving a privilege motion, he said he would face it.

UNI

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