End of a Nat-ty affair

DECENCY and decorum are essential traits of decent statesmen. If senior political leaders throw them to the wind, they lose respect not only in the party but also in the country. That's what's happened to former Indian external affairs minister Natwar Singh.

Published: Fri 11 Aug 2006, 10:07 AM

Last updated: Sat 4 Apr 2015, 4:58 PM

Instead of gracefully stepping down after serious allegations implicating him in the Iraq oil-for-food scam were made, he had stayed put even without a portfolio until he was thrown out.

Out of power, and with two committees —UN's Volcker and India's Pathak —pointing accusing fingers at Singh and his son for their involvement or complicity in the scandal, the veteran politician continues to embarrass the government by washing the dirty linen in public.

Singh, known in political circles as Mr Grumpy as he rarely smiles, is a disgruntled man. He is more frustrated after suspension from Congress and his expulsion from the party looms large. In recent days his defiant postures, hobnobbing with the opposition, constant tirade against prime minister Manmohan Singh and persistent criticism of India's nuclear deal with the US have distanced him further from his parliamentary colleagues.

In a parliamentary democracy, the collective will of people or their representatives rules supreme over a single individual's perception of global affairs. Loyalty and efficiency do count. But they don't come to the rescue of a person if he or she chooses to go on a warpath against a majority decision. Dissent is normal in a democracy. But if someone transforms it into a personal battle in the name of justice and upholding values, no party can tolerate such people. Singh is no different. He has been made to pay a price for being obstinate and intransigent.