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Natwar's move 'indiscipline': Congress

      New Delhi: The Congress Party was shell-shocked as the former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh announced his open defiance against the party by bringing a privilege motion against Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on leakage of the Pathak inquiry report. Terming it as an "act of absolute indiscipline", Congress leader Priyanjan Das Munshi refused to add anymore thing and only said that he was trying to ascertain the facts from Singh himself. Earlier, Natwar sent a notice of the breach of privilege to the Rajya Sabha Secretary General Yogendra Narain for the leakage of the contents of the Pathak Inquiry Authority in the media before it was laid on the floor of the Parliament.

    Pathak Inquiry Authority had indicted Natwar and his son Jagat Singh for misusing their position in the Oil-for-food scam. Natwar has received support of the Samajwadi party, AIADMK, TDP and CPI in this regard and his move to confront the party leadership and the government, of which he was a part nine months ago, came just after his meeting with Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh. A privilege motion needs a minimum support of 25 members to be accepted by the House Chairperson. AIADMK, TDP, CPI and Samajwadi Party have 33 members in the Upper House and the notice is likely to be accepted by the Chairperson Bhairon Singh Sekhawat. However, the confirmation in this regard is yet to come as the Pathak inquiry report along with the Action taken report are reported to be tabled in the House tomorrow. Earlier in the day Amar Singh pledging to create a furore in the House tomorrow said: "We might also bring a privilege motion against the Prime Minister against the leak. We have come to the conclusion the this is a conspiracy hatched by the United States of America as Natwar Singh was against Iran, Iraq and the recently signed nuclear deal". Natwar who till Saturday said that he would not leave the Congress Party with which he was associated for last two decades, today indicated his closeness towards Samajwadi Party, leaving Congress Party bewildered.

No Natwar comment on Pathak report

     New Delhi: Former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh today refused to make any comment on the Pathak panel report, saying he would speak on the matter only after going through the report. "I will make no statement till I see the report which I am told will be tabled in Parliament tomorrow," Singh told reporters outside his residence here. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Amar Singh met the veteran Congress leader at the latter's residence earlier in the morning. Amar Singh said he came to meet Singh with messages from All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIDMK) chief Jayalalithaa and Telugu Desham Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu. After meeting the Congress leader, Amar Singh said that they (SP, AIDMK and TDP) would "possibly" bring a privilege notice against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Singh, along with his son Jagat Singh, has been indicted by the Pathak panel for allegedly misusing power.

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