M A I N   N E W S

Cabinet reshuffle after winter session, says PM
Anita Katyal
Tribune News Service

On Board Prime Minister’s Special Aircraft, December 4
Although there is growing pressure in the Congress that former External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh steps down from the Cabinet following fresh revelations in the Volcker case, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh remains evasive on the issue.

When asked specifically about the possibility of Mr Natwar Singh putting in his papers today, Dr Singh parried the query, saying, “If a person takes a decision, we will consider it when that situation arises.”

He was speaking to mediapersons on board the special Air-India flight en route to Moscow for the annual summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He remained equally non-committal when asked if he intended to appoint an External Affairs Minister in near future or he would await the report of the Pathak committee. “As of now, I have not made up my mind,” he said. He, however, said a reshuffle in the Union Cabinet would be undertaken after the winter session of Parliament.

He also refused to divulge details about his 40-minute meeting with Mr Natwar Singh yesterday. “He is a colleague of mine, he came to see me, we discussed various issues…..what happened in the last few weeks. There was nothing more significant than that,” he said.

As for the Opposition’s fresh move to target Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the Volcker issue, he dismissed the BJP campaign. “I don’t attach much significance to what they are saying…there is no substance in what they are saying,” he maintained.

He also denied that there were differences between him and Congress president Sonia Gandhi on the handling of the Volcker-Natwar issue.

His cautious response on the burning controversy indicated that the ruling establishment had decided to play safe on the issue. There was growing demand from the Congress that Mr Natwar Singh be asked to quit the Cabinet as he had become an embarrassment for the party.

However, the Prime Minister has taken the view that the government has already set up two probes to go into the Volcker committee revelations and that he will await the outcome of these inquiries instead of prejudging the issue.

Away from the Volcker issue, he said his talks with the Russian leadership would focus on expanding energy cooperation between the two countries.

“The energy sector is high on my priority list,” he said.

India has invested in Sakhalin I and is now looking at enlarging cooperation in this field. Dr Singh is slated to sign four agreements with Russia in the spheres of defence and space during this visit.

He also said there was a lot of scope for expansion of ties in the area of nuclear energy, especially now that restrictions on technology transfer to India are expected to be lifted shortly.

Russia is already involved in India’s nuclear energy programme and is helping to set up two nuclear reactors at Koodunkalam.

The Iran issue is also expected to figure in Prime Minister’s talks with President Putin as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to take up the matter on December 6, the day the two leaders are meeting.

Dr Singh said India had discussed the matter with China, the EU and Russia, stating that their main concern was to find a solution within the framework of the IAEA and not to refer the Iran issue to the UN Security Council. “As of now, our strategy seems to be working,” he said.

He denied that there was any roadblock in the implementation of the Indo-US nuclear pact. The two countries had set up joint working groups, which were working according to schedule, he added. As for the supply of fuel for the Tarapur plant, he delinked it from the July pact, saying it was a separate issue.