India needs a strong, resolute leadership: Natwar

New Delhi, Aug 11: Stepping up his attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh today said India needs a ''decisive, resolute and forceful leadership.''

Addressing a crowded press conference at his residence, Mr Natwar Singh said his remarks were not an indirect attack on the Congress President, stating that had never talked against Ms Sonia Gandhi and would never say anything in future.

''I have never cast or will never cast any aspersion on Ms Sonia Gandhi,'' he said and also ruled out quitting the Congress.

Mr Natwar Singh also made it clear that whatever he had said against Dr Singh two days ago was not a ''lie,'' though he now felt he could have put it in a better way.

Mr Natwar Singh, who had said that Dr Singh was a spineless Prime Minister who had not won even a municipal election, clarified that he had made the comments out of anger following his suspension.

Questioning the track record of the members of the party's Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC), he said many of them, including DAC Chairman A K Anthony, had quit and rejoined the party.

He said he also felt aggrieved by the fact that his suspension was announced late in the night through the media and he got the show-cause notice only hours later -- around 0200 hrs.

Mr Natwar Singh, seated with his son, Jagat Singh, said he had sought an appointment with the Prime Minister yesterday and was given time at 1400 hrs which was subsequently cancelled without assigning any reason.

Asked why he wanted to meet the Prime Minister, he said he wanted to discuss the foreign policy of the government which was found wanting of late -- whether it was the nuclear deal, talks with Pakistan, India's role in Nepal or the trilateral cooperation with China and Russia.

Mr Natwar Singh said he would give a detailed reply to the show-cause notice within the stipulated two-week time given to him. Replying to a question, he said ''not a single leaf turns in the party without the knowledge and approval of Ms Gandhi'' who had never uttered anything against him. Asked whether the suspension and the show-cause notice did not amount to Ms Gandhi indicting him, he said would reply to the notice.

Responding to remarks that he was honest but was a victim of his son's misdoings, Mr Natwar Singh said he would thown his son out of the house the day Jagat did something wrong.

The very fact that Jagat was seated alongside was corroborative of the fact that the UN's Paul Volcker committee and the Justice R S Pathak Inquiry Authority had also absolved ''me and and my son'' of the charge that any monetary benefit accrued to them from the oil deal as part of the oil-for-food programme for Iraq, he said.

He replied in the negative to a question whether whether he had shown the recommendation letter he had written for his son's business associate, Andaleeb Sehgal.

Replying to queries, he said he was removed as External Affairs Minister, possibly under pressure from the United States which was unhappy with India's policies towards Iraq, Iran and Israel.

The members of the Congress DAC includes Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who had also at one time been expelled from the party.

Strongly defending himself in the oil scam, Mr Natwar Singh he said he had headed a Congress delegation to Iraq as part of a goodwill visit and his discussions with various leaders in Baghdad were purely political in nature and there was not even a mention of oil contract. On his return from Iraq, he had ''fully apprised'' Ms Gandhi of his meetings and discussions.

Acknowleding that he had met the Iraqi Oil Minister, he said it was just a courtesy call and lasted barely two-three minutes.

The Iraqi Minister had visited India a few weeks earlier and called on Ms Gandhi, when he was also present, he explained.

Asked about the recommendation letter given to Mr Sehgal, he said he had given hundreds of such letters to various people in good faith. So was the case with other leaders within India and abroad and there was nothing unusual about it.

If someone misused such a letter of introduction for getting business, he could not be held guilty of any wrongdoing, he said.

He also made it clear that he did not ''enlarge'' the four- member Congress delegation into a six-member delegation, including his son and Mr Sehgal.

Mr Natwar Singh said his son travelled with him as a functionary of the Indian Youth Congress and Mr Sehgal happened to be already present in Iraq.

He said he was not ''a fool to expand the delegation as not a single leaf turned in the Congress without the knowledge and approval of Ms Gandhi.''

UNI

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