Natwar Singh, accuses Indian PM of breaching parliament's privilege

INDIA: An ex-foreign minister wants Prime Minister Manmohan Singh castigated by Parliament for allegedly leaking details of a report that implicated the one-time official's friends and family in Iraq's oil-for-food scandal.

The leak outraged the former minister, Natwar Singh, and several political parties, including allies of the ruling Congress party, which claimed the disclosure was a violation of Parliament's privilege.

The inquiry found that a relative of Natwar Singh's and a friend of his son were illegal beneficiaries of the U.N. oil-for-food program during Saddam Hussein's rule in Iraq, Indian media reported last week. The revelation came after a report on the investigation was given to the prime minister.

Natwar Singh was forced out of the foreign minister post in December after he was named in an oil-for-food report by former chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, Paul Volcker, who investigated allegations of graft in the program.

Volcker also named the Congress party and scores of private Indian companies as illegal beneficiaries of the program, and India's inquiry was begun to verify Volcker's findings.

Singh told reporters Sunday that he planned to bring what is called a "privilege motion" against the prime minister in Parliament, claiming the legislative body should have been allowed to view the evidence before it was released to the public.

At least three major political parties said they would support the move, which was expected Monday.

While there's little danger of the government falling over such an issue, if Parliament adopts the motion it would represent a huge embarrassment for the ruling Congress party, of which Singh is a member. It's rare for a ruling party member to make such moves in parliament.

New Delhi, Monday, AP