New Delhi: In a sensational disclosure, India's Ambassador to Croatia Anil Mathrani has claimed that former external affairs minister Natwar Singh had received oil allotment from Saddam Hussein's regime in the Iraq oil-for-food programme for "personal service".
Mathrani, who worked closely with Singh in the Congress' Foreign Affairs Cell before the party came to power, told the news magazine India Today that both the Congress and Natwar Singh received the oil coupons from Saddam's regime.
"The fact of the matter is that both allotees, in my view are exactly the same. One has been to Natwar and the other one to the Congress Party. Natwar used them for personal services. Don't forget that Natwar is the one who has been expousing Iraq's cause," he said.
Mathrani claimed that Natwar Singh's son Jagat Singh and his friend Andaleeb Sehgal were present at the dinner hosted by the then Indian Ambassador to Iraq R Dayakar.
"The Hotel Al Rashid where the delegation stayed was a Baath Party hotel and all who stayed there were guests of the party. Now you see the transition in Baghdad. Jagat became part of the delegation and he and Andaleeb checked-in with us," Mathrani said.
"You can't check into a Baath party hotel unless you are a part of the the delegation. So local hospitality from the Iraqi's was offered to Jagat and Andaleeb which they accepted," he added.
He claimed that the former external affairs minister told the Iraqi Ambassador that he would like his son to accompany him as it would be a difficult journey.
"When we reached the airport, Jagat Singh came there and he took the flight with us. At the airport (in Baghdad) we were received by Indian embassy officials and taken to Hotel Intercontinental. After we assembled in the lobby Andaleeb Sehgal appeared," he said.
Natwar then introduced Andaleeb as "his son's cousin and somebody who is familiar with Iraq and whose visit to Iraq was timed at the same time by coincidence," Mathrani said.
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