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{{Short description|Indian politician}}
{{Short description|Indian politician (1931–2024)}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2025}}
{{BLP sources|date=September 2007}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = K. Natwar Singh
| name                = K. Natwar Singh
| image              = K. Natwar Singh 2005.jpg
| image              = K. Natwar Singh 2005.jpg
| caption            = Singh in 2005
| imagesize          = 200px
| imagesize          = 200px
| office1            = [[Indian External Affairs Minister|Minister of External Affairs]]
| office1            = [[Indian External Affairs Minister|Minister of External Affairs]]
| term_start1        = 22 May 2004
| term_start1        = 22 May 2004
| term_end1          = 6 December 2005
| term_end1          = 6 November 2005
| primeminister1      = [[Manmohan Singh]]
| primeminister1      = [[Manmohan Singh]]
| predecessor1        = [[Yashwant Sinha]]
| predecessor1        = [[Yashwant Sinha]]
| successor1          = [[Manmohan Singh]]
| successor1          = [[Manmohan Singh]]
| office2            = [[Minister without portfolio]]
| office2            = [[Minister without portfolio]]
| term_start2         = 8 December 2005
| term_end2         = 8 December 2005
| term_end2           = 22 May 2009
| term_start2           = 6 November 2005
| primeminister2      = [[Manmohan Singh]]
| primeminister2      = [[Manmohan Singh]]
| predecessor2        = [[Mamata Banerjee]]
| predecessor2        = [[Mamata Banerjee]]
| sucessor2          = [[Arun Jaitley]]
| successor2          = [[Arun Jaitley]]
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1931|05|16}}
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|df=yes|1931|05|16}}
| birth_place        = Jaghina, [[Bharatpur, Rajasthan|Bharatpur]], [[Bharatpur State]], [[British Raj]] (present-day [[Rajasthan]], [[India]])
| birth_place        = [[Bharatpur district|Jaghina]], [[Bharatpur State]], [[British Raj|British India]] (present-day [[Rajasthan]], India)
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2024|08|10|1931|05|16}}
| death_place        = [[Gurgaon|Gurugram]], [[Haryana]], India
| nationality        = Indian
| nationality        = Indian
| party              = [[Indian National Congress]]
| party              = [[Indian National Congress]] (1984–2006)<br>[[Bahujan Samaj Party]] (2008)<ref name="p315"/>
| relations          =  
| relations          =  
| children            = Jagat Singh<br />Ritu Kaur
| children            = 2, including [[Jagat Singh (politician)|Jagat Singh]]
| residence          = New Delhi
| residence          = New Delhi
| occupation          = Politician
| occupation          = Politician
| spouse              = Heminder Kaur
| spouse              = Heminder Kaur
| signature          = K. Natwar Singh.jpg
| signature          =  
| alma_mater          = [[Mayo College]], [[Ajmer]]<br />[[St. Stephen's College, Delhi]]<br />[[Scindia School]]
| alma_mater          = [[St. Stephen's College, Delhi]]. <br> [[Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]]
| awards              = [[Padma Bhushan]]
| awards              = [[Padma Bhushan]]
| honorific_prefix    = '''[[The Honourable]]'''
| education          = [[Mayo College]]
| honorific_suffix    = [[Padma Bhushan|PB]]
}}
}}
'''Kunwar Natwar Singh''', [[Indian Foreign Service|IFS]] (born 16 May 1931) is an Indian diplomat and politician who served as the [[Minister of External Affairs (India)|Minister of External Affairs]] from May 2004 to December 2005.


Singh was selected into the [[Indian Foreign Service]], one of the most competitive and prestigious government services, in 1953. In 1984, he resigned from the service to contest elections as a member of the [[Indian National Congress]] party. He won the election and served as a union minister of state until 1989. Thereafter, he had a patchy political career until being made India's [[foreign minister]] in 2004. However, 18 months later, he had to resign under a cloud after the UN's [[Paul Volcker Committee|Volcker committee]] named both him and the Congress party to which he belonged as beneficiaries of illegal pay-offs in the [[Oil-for-Food Programme|Iraqi oil scam]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2005/10/29/stories/2005102923960100.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051031034552/http://www.hindu.com/2005/10/29/stories/2005102923960100.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2005-10-31 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=2005-10-29 |title=Volcker Report names Natwar Singh and Congress Party as "beneficiaries" }}</ref>
'''Natwar Singh''' (16 May 1931 – 10 August 2024) was an Indian politician and [[diplomat]] of the [[Indian Foreign Service]] who later served as India's [[Minister of External Affairs (India)|Minister of External Affairs]] from May 2004 to December 2005. Having been suspended by the [[Indian National Congress]] (INC) in 2006,<ref name="d796">{{cite web | title=Natwar Singh quits Congress party | website=Hindustan Times | date=13 February 2008 | url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/natwar-singh-quits-congress-party/story-UdhHsFOi3rOp2thnbwEe0H.html | access-date=11 August 2024 | archive-date=2 March 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302214142/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/natwar-singh-quits-congress-party/story-UdhHsFOi3rOp2thnbwEe0H.html | url-status=live }}</ref> he joined the [[Bahujan Samaj Party]] (BSP) in 2008 but was removed from the party within four months.<ref name="n993">{{cite web | title=BSP expels former external affairs minister Natwar Singh | website=The Times of India | date=18 November 2008 | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/bsp-expels-former-external-affairs-minister-natwar-singh/articleshow/3728259.cms | access-date=11 August 2024 | archive-date=11 August 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240811035053/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/bsp-expels-former-external-affairs-minister-natwar-singh/articleshow/3728259.cms | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p315">{{cite web | last=India | first=Press Trust of | title=Natwar Singh joins BSP | website=India Today | date=10 August 2008 | url=https://www.indiatoday.in/latest-headlines/story/natwar-singh-joins-bsp-28187-2008-08-09 | access-date=11 August 2024 | archive-date=11 August 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240811032815/https://www.indiatoday.in/latest-headlines/story/natwar-singh-joins-bsp-28187-2008-08-09 | url-status=live }}</ref>
 
Singh was selected into the [[Indian Foreign Service]] in 1953. In 1984, he resigned from the service to contest elections as a member of the INC. He won the election and served as a [[Union Council of Ministers|union minister of state]] until 1989. Thereafter, he had a patchy political career until being made India's foreign minister in 2004. However, 18 months later, he had to resign after the [[United Nations]]' (UN) [[Paul Volcker Committee|Volcker committee]] named both he and the INC to which he belonged as beneficiaries of illegal pay-offs in the scandal related to the UN's [[Oil-for-Food Programme]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2005/10/29/stories/2005102923960100.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051031034552/http://www.hindu.com/2005/10/29/stories/2005102923960100.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 October 2005 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=29 October 2005 |title=Volcker Report names Natwar Singh and Congress Party as "beneficiaries" }}</ref>
 
In 2014, he wrote his autobiography ''One Life is Not Enough''. This book was criticised for its attempt to create sensation, while the Congress criticised Natwar Singh for distortion of facts due to his removal from the political position.<ref name="d772"/><ref name="f224"/>


== Early life and education==
== Early life and education==
The fourth son of ''Thakur'' Govind Singh of [[Deeg]] and his wife ''Thakurani'' Prayag Kaur, Singh was born in the [[princely state]] of [[Bharatpur, Rajasthan|Bharatpur]] to an aristocrat [[Jat]] [[Hindu]] family related to the ruling dynasty of Bharatpur.<ref>[http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ashok-gehlot-jat-community-rajasthan/1/278633.html India Today]</ref> He attended [[Mayo College]] and [[Scindia School]], [[Gwalior]], both traditionally for Indian princely clans and nobles, and took an undergraduate degree at [[St. Stephen's College, Delhi]]. He subsequently studied at [[Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]] University and was a visiting scholar for a period at [[Peking University]] in China.<ref>{{cite web |title=K Natwar Singh: External Affairs Minister |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/k-natwar-singh-external-affairs-minister/story-GWnOoIuJsc0q3RYQpaRT0J.html |website=Hindustan Times |access-date=4 May 2020 |language=en |date=18 June 2004}}</ref>
The fourth son of Govind Singh and his wife Prayag Kaur of village 'Jagheena', Singh was born in the [[Bharatpur State|princely state of Bharatpur]] in an aristocrat [[Jat]] [[Hindu]] family related to the ruling dynasty of Bharatpur.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/opinion/sudhanshu-mishra/story/ashok-gehlot-jat-community-rajasthan-165741-2013-06-05 |title=India Today |access-date=27 May 2014 |archive-date=27 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527215128/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ashok-gehlot-jat-community-rajasthan/1/278633.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He attended [[Mayo College]], [[Ajmer]], a traditional educational institutions for Indian princely clans and nobles. Thereafter he took an undergraduate degree at the prestigious [[St. Stephen's College, Delhi]]. He subsequently studied at [[Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]] and was a visiting scholar for a period at [[Peking University]] in [[China]].<ref>{{cite web |title=K Natwar Singh: External Affairs Minister |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/k-natwar-singh-external-affairs-minister/story-GWnOoIuJsc0q3RYQpaRT0J.html |website=Hindustan Times |access-date=4 May 2020 |language=en |date=18 June 2004 |archive-date=4 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200504194258/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/k-natwar-singh-external-affairs-minister/story-GWnOoIuJsc0q3RYQpaRT0J.html |url-status=live }}</ref>


==Diplomatic career==
==Diplomatic career==
Singh joined the [[Indian Foreign Service]] in 1953 and served for 31 years. One of his earliest assignments was in Beijing, China (1956–58). He was then posted to New York City at the Permanent Mission of India (1961–66) and as India's representative to Executive Board of [[UNICEF]] (1962–66). He served on several important UN committees between 1963 and 1966. In 1966, he was posted to the Prime Minister's Secretariat under [[Indira Gandhi]]. He served as India's Ambassador to Poland from 1971 to 1973, India's Deputy High Commissioner to U.K. from 1973 to 1977 and India's Ambassador to Pakistan from 1980 to 1982.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biographical Sketch Member of Parliament 12th Lok Sabha|url=http://loksabhaph.nic.in/writereaddata/biodata_1_12/3178.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> He was part of the Indian delegation to the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Heads of Commonwealth Meeting]] in [[Kingston, Jamaica]] in 1975. He was an Indian Delegate to the 30th Session of the [[United Nations General Assembly]], New York, Heads of Commonwealth Meeting, [[Lusaka]], [[Zambia]] in 1979 and the 35th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York. He also accompanied Indira Gandhi on her State visit to the US in 1982. He served as an Executive Trustee, [[United Nations Institute for Training and Research]] (UNITAR) appointed by the Secretary-General, United Nations for six years (1981–86). He also served on the Expert Group appointed by the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, London in 1982. He was appointed Secretary-General of the Seventh Non-aligned Summit in New Delhi held in 1983 and Chief Coordinator of the [[Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting]] (CHOGM) in New Delhi in the same year. He served as [[Secretary to the Government of India|Secretary]] in the Ministry of External Affairs from March 1982 to November 1984.
Singh joined the [[Indian Foreign Service]] in 1953 and served for 31 years. One of his earliest assignments was in Beijing, China (1956–58). He was then posted to New York City at the Permanent Mission of India (1961–66) and as India's representative to executive board of [[UNICEF]] (1962–66). He served on several UN committees between 1963 and 1966. In 1966, he was posted to the Prime Minister's Secretariat under [[Indira Gandhi]]. He served as India's Ambassador to Poland from 1971 to 1973, India's Deputy High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1973 to 1977 and India's Ambassador to Pakistan from 1980 to 1982.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biographical Sketch Member of Parliament 12th Lok Sabha|url=http://loksabhaph.nic.in/writereaddata/biodata_1_12/3178.htm|access-date=26 December 2021|archive-date=26 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211226135602/http://loksabhaph.nic.in/writereaddata/biodata_1_12/3178.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> He was part of the Indian delegation to the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Heads of Commonwealth Meeting]] in [[Kingston, Jamaica]] in 1975. He was an Indian Delegate to the 30th Session of the [[United Nations General Assembly]], New York, Heads of Commonwealth Meeting, [[Lusaka]], Zambia in 1979 and the 35th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York. He also accompanied Indira Gandhi on her State visit to the US in 1982. He served as an Executive Trustee, [[United Nations Institute for Training and Research]] (UNITAR) appointed by the Secretary-General, United Nations for six years (1981–86). He also served on the Expert Group appointed by the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, London in 1982. He was appointed Secretary-General of the Seventh Non-aligned Summit in New Delhi held in 1983 and Chief Coordinator of the [[Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting]] (CHOGM) in New Delhi in the same year. He served as [[Secretary to the Government of India|Secretary]] in the Ministry of External Affairs from March 1982 to November 1984. He received the [[Padma Bhushan]], the third highest civilian award in India from the [[Government of India]], in 1984.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web | url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf | title=Padma Awards | publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India | date=2015 | access-date=21 July 2015 | archive-date=15 October 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
He received the [[Padma Bhushan]], the third highest civilian award in India from the [[Government of India]], in 1984.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web | url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf | title=Padma Awards | publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India | date=2015 | access-date=July 21, 2015}}</ref>


==Political career==
==Political career==
[[File:Shri Natwar Singh assumes the charge of Union Minister for External Affairs in New Delhi on May 24, 2004.jpg|thumb|Natwar Singh assumes the charge of Union Minister for External Affairs in New Delhi on 24 May 2004]]
[[File:Shri Natwar Singh assumes the charge of Union Minister for External Affairs in New Delhi on May 24, 2004.jpg|thumb|Natwar Singh assumes the charge of Union Minister for External Affairs in New Delhi on 24 May 2004]]


In 1984, after resigning from the [[Indian Foreign Service]], Singh joined the [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] party and was elected to the [[8th Lok Sabha]] from [[Bharatpur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Bharatpur]] constituency in [[Rajasthan]]. In 1985, he was sworn in as a minister of state (who is a minister, but one level below a cabinet minister) and allotted the portfolios of steel, coal and mines, and agriculture. In 1986, he became minister of state for external affairs. In that capacity, he was elected President of the UN Conference on Disarmament and Development held in New York in 1987, and also led the Indian delegation to the 42nd Session of the [[UN General Assembly]].
In 1984, after resigning from the [[Indian Foreign Service]], Singh joined the Indian National Congress (INC) party and was elected to the [[8th Lok Sabha]] from [[Bharatpur Lok Sabha constituency|Bharatpur constituency]] in [[Rajasthan]]. In 1985, he was sworn in as a [[Union Council of Ministers|minister of state]] (who is a minister, but one level below a cabinet minister) and allotted the portfolios of [[Ministry of Steel|steel]], [[Ministry of Coal|coal]] and [[Ministry of Mines (India)|mines]], and [[Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare|agriculture]]. In 1986, he became minister of state for [[Ministry of External Affairs (India)|external affairs]]. In that capacity, he was elected President of the United Nations (UN) Conference on Disarmament and Development held in New York in 1987, and also led the [[Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations|Indian delegation]] to the 42nd Session of the [[UN General Assembly]].
Singh remained a minister of state for external affairs until the Congress party lost power after being defeated in the general elections of 1989. In those elections, he contested and lost the [[Mathura (Lok Sabha constituency)|Mathura]] seat in [[Uttar Pradesh]]. The Congress party returned to power after the elections of 1991, with [[P.V. Narasimha Rao]] as Prime Minister since Rajiv Gandhi has lately been assassinated. At this time, Singh was not an [[Member of Parliament|MP]] and could not be a minister. His importance lay solely in perceived proximity to the [[Sonia Gandhi]], of which he was a staunch and avowed loyalist. He duly developed differences with the Prime Minister and left the party along with [[N.D. Tiwari]] and [[Arjun Singh (politician, born 1930)|Arjun Singh]], to form a new political party, [[All India Indira Congress (Tiwari)|All India Indira Congress]]. In 1998, after P.V. Narasimha Rao had been shunted into oblivion and [[Sonia Gandhi]] had regained complete control of the party, the three family loyalists merged their new party into the Congress party and returned into the service of the Gandhis.


Singh was rewarded with a ticket to contest the general elections of 1998, and returned to parliament after a gap of nine years, when he was elected to the short-lived [[12th Lok Sabha]] (1998–99) from [[Bharatpur (Lok Sabha Constituency)|Bharatpur]]. However, he had to sit in the opposition benches, and then he lost the elections of 1999. After a further hiatus of three years, he was elected (indirectly) to the [[Rajya Sabha]] from [[Rajasthan]] in 2002. The Congress party came back to power in 2004, and Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]] appointed Natwar Singh as the Minister for External affairs.
Singh remained a minister of state for external affairs until the Congress party lost power after being defeated in the general elections of 1989. In those elections, he contested and lost the [[Mathura (Lok Sabha constituency)|Mathura]] seat in [[Uttar Pradesh]]. The Congress party returned to power after the elections of 1991, with [[P.V. Narasimha Rao]] as Prime Minister since Rajiv Gandhi had been assassinated. At this time, Singh was not an [[Member of Parliament|MP]] and could not be a minister. He developed differences with the Prime Minister and left the party along with [[N.D. Tiwari]] and [[Arjun Singh (politician, born 1930)|Arjun Singh]], to form a new political party, [[All India Indira Congress (Tiwari)|All India Indira Congress]].  


===Oil for Food scandal===
In 1998, after [[Sonia Gandhi]] had regained complete control of the party, the three family loyalists merged their new party into the Congress party and returned into the service of the Gandhis. Singh was rewarded with a ticket to contest the general elections of 1998, and returned to parliament after a gap of nine years, when he was elected to the [[12th Lok Sabha]] (1998–99) from Bharatpur. Singh had defeated the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]’s (BJP) [[Digamber Singh|Dr. Digamber Singh]], who would go on to become Rajasthan’s Minister of Health, Family Welfare, and later Industries, and emerge as the tallest leader in eastern Rajasthan in the early 2000s, virtually upending Singh’s hold in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DR. DIGAMBER SINGH - Bharatpur - Lok Sabha Election Results 1998 |url=https://www.electiontak.in/lok-sabha-1998/rajasthan/dr-digamber-singh-bharatpur-results-367548 |access-date=30 July 2024 |website=www.electiontak.in}}</ref> He had to sit in the opposition benches, however, and then he lost the elections of 1999. After a further hiatus of three years, he was elected (indirectly) to the [[Rajya Sabha]] from Rajasthan in 2002. The Congress party came back to power in 2004, and Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]] appointed Natwar Singh as the [[Minister of External Affairs (India)|Minister of External affairs]].
Singh assumed office on 23 May 2004 as India's minister for external affairs. His tenure proved controversial.


On 27 October 2005, while Singh was abroad on an official visit, the [[Paul Volcker Committee|Independent Inquiry Committee]] headed by [[Paul Volcker]] released the report on its investigation of corruption in the [[Oil-for-Food]] program. It stated ''inter alia'' that "India's [[Indian National Congress|Congress party]]" and Natwar Singh's family were non-contractual (corrupt) beneficiaries of the Oil for Food programme.<ref>{{cite news|title=Volcker Report names Natwar Singh and his family as "beneficiaries"|url=http://www.hindu.com/2005/10/29/stories/2005102923960100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051031034552/http://www.hindu.com/2005/10/29/stories/2005102923960100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=31 October 2005|access-date=30 May 2011|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=29 October 2005}}</ref> The report stated that Natwar Singh, his son Jagat Singh and Jagat's childhood friend Andaleeb Sehgal, were associated with a company called Hamdan Exports, which acted as an intermediary for illegal sales of oil to a Swiss firm named Masefield AG. In return for these illegal sales, Masefield paid kickbacks (termed "surcharges"), partly to [[Saddam Hussein]]'s regime and partly to Natwar Singh and others. It was alleged that such kickbacks were Hussein's way of securing support from politicians around the world and that this benefit influenced Natwar Singh to lobby against US policies in Iraq (in particular, US sanctions on Saddam Hussein).
===Oil-for-Food scandal===
Singh assumed office on 23 May 2004 as India's minister of external affairs. On 27 October 2005, while Singh was abroad on an official visit, the [[Paul Volcker Committee|Independent Inquiry Committee]] headed by [[Paul Volcker]] released the report on its investigation of corruption in the [[Oil-for-Food Programme]]. It included statements that India's Congress Party and Singh's family were non-contractual and corrupt beneficiaries of the Oil-for-Food Programme.<ref>{{cite news|title=Volcker Report names Natwar Singh and his family as "beneficiaries"|url=http://www.hindu.com/2005/10/29/stories/2005102923960100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051031034552/http://www.hindu.com/2005/10/29/stories/2005102923960100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=31 October 2005|access-date=30 May 2011|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=29 October 2005}}</ref> Anil Mathrani, then Indian Ambassador to Croatia and formerly a close aide to Singh, alleged that Singh had used an official visit to Iraq to procure oil coupons for his son, [[Jagat Singh (politician)|Jagat Singh]], from [[Saddam Hussein|Saddam's]] regime.<ref>{{cite news|last=Singh|first=Onkar|title=Natwar Singh resigns from Union Cabinet|url=http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/dec/06volcker10.htm|access-date=30 May 2011|newspaper=rediff News|date=6 December 2005|archive-date=12 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312005115/http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/dec/06volcker10.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>


Anil Mathrani, then Indian Ambassador to [[Croatia]] and formerly a close aide to Natwar Singh, alleged that Natwar Singh had used an official visit to Iraq to procure oil coupons for Jagat Singh from [[Saddam Hussein|Saddam's]] regime.<ref>{{cite news|last=Singh|first=Onkar|title=Natwar Singh resigns from Union Cabinet|url=http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/dec/06volcker10.htm|access-date=30 May 2011|newspaper=rediff News|date=6 December 2005}}</ref>
On 26 March 2006, the [[Enforcement Directorate]] (ED) announced that it had traced a sum of eighty million rupees that had been transferred from the bank account of [[London]]-based [[Indian diaspora|Non-Resident Indian]] (NRI) businessman and family relative of Singh, Aditya Khanna, the son of businessman [[Vipin Khanna]], to his own NRI account in a [[Delhi]] bank.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Baker |first=Richard |last2=McKenzie |first2=Nick |date=16 August 2010 |title=Money in the bag - Indian trade links under scrutiny |url=https://www.smh.com.au/business/money-in-the-bag--indian-trade-links-under-scrutiny-20100815-125au.html |access-date=22 April 2025 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |archive-date=23 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223032717/https://www.smh.com.au/business/money-in-the-bag--indian-trade-links-under-scrutiny-20100815-125au.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The amount was later withdrawn and allegedly distributed among Indian beneficiaries of the reported scam.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|last=Thakur|first=Pradeep|title=Oil-for-food: ED traces Rs 8-cr to Delhi bank|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Oil-for-food-ED-traces-Rs-8-cr-to-Delhi-bank/articleshow/1464457.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614052809/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-03-26/india/27799357_1_oil-for-food-bank-accounts-aditya-khanna|url-status=live|archive-date=14 June 2012|access-date=30 May 2011|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=26 March 2006}}</ref>


===The long knives===
Singh was suspended by the Congress in 2006.<ref name="d796"/>


On 26 March 2006, the [[Enforcement Directorate|Indian Enforcement Directorate]] (ED) announced that it had finally tracked a sum of eighty million rupees, transferred from London-based [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Non-resident Indian]] businessman Aditya Khanna's bank account to his own [[Overseas bank account|NRI account]] in a [[Delhi]] bank, and later withdrawn from this account to be allegedly distributed among Indian beneficiaries of the scam.<ref>{{cite news|last=Thakur|first=Pradeep|title=Oil-for-food: ED traces Rs 8-cr to Delhi bank|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-03-26/india/27799357_1_oil-for-food-bank-accounts-aditya-khanna|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614052809/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-03-26/india/27799357_1_oil-for-food-bank-accounts-aditya-khanna|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 June 2012|access-date=30 May 2011|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=26 March 2006}}</ref> An old family connection between this businessman (Aditya Khanna) and Natwar Singh's family was dredged up. In August the same year, the Justice [[Raghunandan Swarup Pathak|Pathak]] committee, which was investigating the case, released its judgment accepting this averment. The committee found that Andaleeb Sehgal, a friend of Jagat Singh, and Aditya Khanna, a relative of Natwar Singh, received financial payoffs by procuring oil coupons based on recommendations given by Natwar Singh. Importantly, the committee found that there was no evidence linking the Congress party with these dealings. Based on this credible report, Jagat Singh was expelled from the primary membership of the Congress party, Natwar Singh was dismissed from the Cabinet and his party membership was suspended.
===Later career===
In February 2008, Singh announced that he had quit the Congress at a BJP-sponsored rally of the [[Jat people|Jat community]] held at [[Jaipur]] in the presence of [[Vasundhara Raje]], then [[Chief Minister]] of [[Rajasthan]]. On this occasion, Singh not only asserted his innocence but also launched an attack on Sonia Gandhi for having failed to defend or support him.<ref>{{cite web|title=Home " Nation Natwar Singh quits Congress|url=http://www.zeenews.com/news424175.html|publisher=Zee News|access-date=30 May 2011|date=13 February 2008}}</ref>


Natwar Singh then resigned from the Congress party. He announced his resignation at a [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]-sponsored rally of Natwar Singh's own [[Jat people|Jat community]] held at [[Jaipur]] in the presence of [[Vasundhara Raje]], then [[Chief Minister]] of [[Rajasthan]]. On this occasion, Natwar Singh not only asserted his innocence but also launched a bitter attack on Sonia Gandhi for having failed to defend or support him.<ref>{{cite web|title=Home " Nation Natwar Singh quits Congress|url=http://www.zeenews.com/news424175.html|publisher=Zee News|access-date=30 May 2011|date=13 February 2008}}</ref>
In mid-2008, both Singh and his son Jagat joined [[Mayawati]]'s [[Bahujan Samaj Party]],<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 August 2008|title=Natwar Singh to join BSP|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/natwar-singh-to-join-bsp/story-cXyaAR0z03ayo46MScxIDI.html|access-date=26 December 2021|website=Hindustan Times|language=en|archive-date=26 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211226135559/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/natwar-singh-to-join-bsp/story-cXyaAR0z03ayo46MScxIDI.html|url-status=live}}</ref> only to be expelled by that party within four months (in November 2008) for alleged indiscipline, anti-party activities and "lack of faith" in the ideology of the Bahujan Samaj Movement. In fact, Singh had been demanding a Rajya Sabha seat (which had apparently been promised before he joined the party) and Mayawati had changed her mind on that matter.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mayawati has no courtesy: Natwar Singh|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/mayawati-has-no-courtesy-natwar-singh/635247|access-date=26 December 2021|website=www.outlookindia.com/|archive-date=26 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211226135559/https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/mayawati-has-no-courtesy-natwar-singh/635247|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Singh |first1=K. Natwar |title=A diplomat's diary |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/a-diplomats-diary/article4952391.ece |website=The Hindu |access-date=4 May 2020 |language=en-IN |date=27 July 2013 |archive-date=4 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200504194406/https://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/a-diplomats-diary/article4952391.ece |url-status=live }}</ref> Jagat Singh later joined the BJP.<ref name="u721">{{cite web | last=Mishra | first=Sachin Kumar | title=Jagat Singh Join BJP: नटवर सिंह के पुत्र जगत सिंह फिर भाजपा में हुए शामिल | website=Jagran | date=14 August 2021 | url=https://www.jagran.com/rajasthan/jaipur-natwar-singh-son-jagat-singh-again-join-bjp-21929037.html | language=hi | access-date=11 August 2024}}</ref>


However, Natwar Singh did not join the BJP. Instead, in mid-2008, both Singh and his son Jagat joined [[Mayawati]]'s [[Bahujan Samaj Party]],<ref>{{Cite web|date=2008-08-09|title=Natwar Singh to join BSP|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/natwar-singh-to-join-bsp/story-cXyaAR0z03ayo46MScxIDI.html|access-date=2021-12-26|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref> only to be expelled by that party within four months (in November 2008) for alleged indiscipline, anti-party activities and "lack of faith" in the ideology of the Bahujan Samaj Movement. In fact, Singh had been demanding a Rajya Sabha seat (which had apparently been promised before he joined the party) and Mayawati had changed her mind on that matter.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mayawati has no courtesy: Natwar Singh|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/mayawati-has-no-courtesy-natwar-singh/635247|access-date=2021-12-26|website=https://www.outlookindia.com/}}</ref> After this episode, Natwar Singh, having suffered several personal tragedies in a short period, retired from public life.
==Personal life and death==
In August 1967, Singh married Heminder Kaur (born June 1939), the eldest daughter of the last [[Maharaja of Patiala|Maharaja]] of [[Patiala State]], [[Yadavindra Singh of Patiala|Yadavindra Singh]], and the sister of [[Captain Amarinder Singh|Amarinder Singh]], who had served as the [[List of chief ministers of Punjab, India|Chief Minister of Punjab]]. Heminder's mother [[Rajmata Mohinder Kaur of Patiala|Mohinder Kaur]] was also a politician.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Staff|first=The Dispatch|date=16 May 2020|title=K Natwar Singh and his life of revelations - about him, by him|url=https://www.thedispatch.in/k-natwar-singh-and-his-life-of-revelations-about-him-by-him/|access-date=26 December 2021|website=The Dispatch|language=en-US|archive-date=15 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211215100455/https://www.thedispatch.in/k-natwar-singh-and-his-life-of-revelations-about-him-by-him/|url-status=live}}</ref> Singh’s son, Jagat Singh, is also a politician.<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 January 2019 |title=BSP fields two-time former MLA Jagat Singh from Ramgarh |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/bsp-fields-two-time-mla-jagat-singh-from-ramgarh/articleshow/67389661.cms |access-date=13 April 2025 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257 |archive-date=13 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250413172034/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/bsp-fields-two-time-mla-jagat-singh-from-ramgarh/articleshow/67389661.cms |url-status=live }}</ref>


==Personal life==
Natwar Singh died in Gurugram on 10 August 2024, at the age of 95.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.news9live.com/india/former-foreign-minister-natwar-singh-passes-away-at-95-2652101 |title=Former Foreign Minister Natwar Singh passes away at 95 |access-date=10 August 2024 |archive-date=10 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240810190805/https://www.news9live.com/india/former-foreign-minister-natwar-singh-passes-away-at-95-2652101 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In August 1967, Singh married ''Maharajkumari'' Heminder Kaur (b. June 1939), the eldest daughter of the last Maharaja of [[Patiala State]], [[Yadavindra Singh of Patiala|Yadavindra Singh]], and the sister of [[Amarinder Singh]], the present titular [[Maharaja of Patiala]] and former chief minister of [[Punjab, India|Punjab]]. Heminder's mother [[Rajmata Mohinder Kaur of Patiala|Mohinder Kaur]] was also active in public life.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Staff|first=The Dispatch|date=2020-05-16|title=K Natwar Singh and his life of revelations - about him, by him|url=https://www.thedispatch.in/k-natwar-singh-and-his-life-of-revelations-about-him-by-him/|access-date=2021-12-26|website=The Dispatch|language=en-US}}</ref>


The couple had a son, Jagat Singh (b. August 1968) and a daughter, Ritu Kaur (b. November 1970). Jagat Singh was himself politically active as the general secretary of the Congress Party youth wing.
==Autobiography==
In August 2014, Singh's autobiography, ''One Life is Not Enough'', was released.<ref name="thehindu1">{{Cite web |url=http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/one-life-is-not-enough-natwar-singhs-autobiography-to-rock-the-capital/article6116868.ece |title="One Life is Not Enough": Natwar Singh's autobiography to rock the capital – The Hindu<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=21 July 2014 |archive-date=20 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140620040725/http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/one-life-is-not-enough-natwar-singhs-autobiography-to-rock-the-capital/article6116868.ece |url-status=live }}</ref> The book claims to reveal developments during [[Indira Gandhi]]'s, [[Rajiv Gandhi]]'s, [[P. V. Narasimha Rao|Narasimha Rao]]'s and [[Manmohan Singh]]'s regimes. It also describes the changing contours of Singh's close but complex political relationship with [[Indian National Congress]] president [[Sonia Gandhi]] over the years.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/inside-track-kissa-kursi-ka/99/ |title=Inside Track: Kissa kursi ka {{!}} The Indian Express {{!}} Page 99<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=21 July 2014 |archive-date=14 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714130107/http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/inside-track-kissa-kursi-ka/99/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The book presents Singh's account of the Volcker report and the various political motions that took place in the background leading up to his resignation.


==Autobiography==
Congress rejected the allegations made by Singh and targeted him to have distorted facts "after being removed and publishes baseless things". They added that "spreading such sensationalism for shoring up the sale of a book" won't be accepted.<ref name="f224">{{cite web | title=Natwar Singh 'distorting' facts: Congress | website=The Hindu | date=31 July 2014 | url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/natwar-singh-distorting-facts-congress/article6268386.ece | access-date=11 August 2024 | archive-date=11 August 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240811030520/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/natwar-singh-distorting-facts-congress/article6268386.ece | url-status=live }}</ref>
In August 2014, Natwar Singh's autobiography, ''[[One Life is Not Enough]]'', was released.<ref name="thehindu1">[http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/one-life-is-not-enough-natwar-singhs-autobiography-to-rock-the-capital/article6116868.ece “One Life is Not Enough”: Natwar Singh’s autobiography to rock the capital – The Hindu<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The book is no-holds-barred account of his political career, providing an insider view on the various machinations of Delhi's political circles. The book reveals many sensitive developments during [[Indira Gandhi]]'s, [[Rajiv Gandhi]]'s, [[P. V. Narasimha Rao|Narasimha Rao]]'s and [[Manmohan Singh]]'s regimes. It also describes the changing contours of Natwar Singh's close but complex political relationship with [[Indian National Congress]] president [[Sonia Gandhi]] over the years.<ref>[http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/inside-track-kissa-kursi-ka/99/ Inside Track: Kissa kursi ka | The Indian Express | Page 99<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The book presents Natwar Singh's account of the controversial [[Volcker]] report and the various political motions that took place in the background leading up to his resignation.


Sonia Gandhi has responded to the book by rubbishing its contents. She also expressed the intention to write her autobiography to reveal the truth.<ref>[http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/sonia-gandhi-reacts-to-natwar-singhs-claims-says-will-write-a-book-to-reveal-the-truth/articleshow/39351397.cms Sonia Gandhi reacts to Natwar Singh's claims; says will write a book to 'reveal the truth' – Economic Times<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Sonia Gandhi also responded to the book and rejected its contents. She even expressed the intention to write her own autobiography to reveal the truth.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/sonia-gandhi-reacts-to-natwar-singhs-claims-says-will-write-a-book-to-reveal-the-truth/articleshow/39351397.cms |title=Sonia Gandhi reacts to Natwar Singh's claims; says will write a book to 'reveal the truth' – Economic Times<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=31 July 2014 |archive-date=13 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413192515/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/sonia-gandhi-reacts-to-natwar-singhs-claims-says-will-write-a-book-to-reveal-the-truth/articleshow/39351397.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> Kallol Chakraborty writing for the ''[[Amar Ujala]]'' noted that the book fraught with the one-sided narrative may create sensation for sometime but it cannot achieve heights in the long run.<ref name="d772">{{cite web | title=वन लाइफ इज नॉट इनफ | website=Amar Ujala | date=13 September 2014 | url=https://www.amarujala.com/columns/opinion/one-life-is-not-enough-an-autobiography-hindi-news-rk | language=hi | access-date=11 August 2024}}</ref>


==Books published==
==Books published==
# ''E.M.Forster : A Tribute'' (on Forster's Eighty Fifth Birthday), editor, with Contributions by Ahmed Ali, Narayana Menon, Raja Rao & Santha Rama Rau, New York, 1964
# ''E.M.Forster : A Tribute'' (on Forster's Eighty Fifth Birthday), editor, with Contributions by Ahmed Ali, Narayana Menon, Raja Rao & Santha Rama Rau, New York, 1964
# ''The Legacy of Nehru: A Memorial Tribute'', New York, 1965<ref name="Smith">{{cite journal |last1=E. Smith |first1=Donald |title=Book reviews: The Legacy of Nehru: A Memorial Tribute. by K. Natwar-Singh, S. Radhakrishnan |journal=[[The Journal of Asian Studies]] |date=May 1966 |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=574–575 |doi=10.2307/2052086 |jstor=2052086 }}</ref>
# ''The Legacy of Nehru: A Memorial Tribute'', New York, 1965<ref name="Smith">{{cite journal |last1=E. Smith |first1=Donald |title=Book reviews: The Legacy of Nehru: A Memorial Tribute. by K. Natwar-Singh, S. Radhakrishnan |journal=[[The Journal of Asian Studies]] |date=May 1966 |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=574–575 |doi=10.2307/2052086 |jstor=2052086 |s2cid=163577874 }}</ref>
# ''Tales from Modern India'', New York, 1966
# ''Tales from Modern India'', New York, 1966
# ''Stories from India'', London, 1971
# ''Stories from India'', London, 1971
Line 89: Line 91:
# ''The Magnificent Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala (1891–1938)'', Delhi, 1997
# ''The Magnificent Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala (1891–1938)'', Delhi, 1997
# ''Heart to Heart'', Delhi, 2003.
# ''Heart to Heart'', Delhi, 2003.
#Yours Sincerely, December 2009.<ref>{{Cite news|others=Special Correspondent|date=2009-12-09|title=&lsquo;Yours sincerely&rsquo;, Natwar Singh|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/lsquoYours-sincerelyrsquo-Natwar-Singh/article16852393.ece|access-date=2021-12-26|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
#Yours Sincerely, December 2009.<ref>{{Cite news|date=9 December 2009|title='Yours sincerely', Natwar Singh|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/lsquoYours-sincerelyrsquo-Natwar-Singh/article16852393.ece|access-date=26 December 2021|issn=0971-751X|archive-date=26 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211226130553/https://www.thehindu.com/books/lsquoYours-sincerelyrsquo-Natwar-Singh/article16852393.ece|url-status=live}}</ref>
# ''Walking with Lions: Tales from a Diplomatic Past'', Released by Hamid Ansari, March 2013.
# ''Walking with Lions: Tales from a Diplomatic Past'', Released by Hamid Ansari, March 2013.
# ''[[One Life is Not Enough]]: An Autobiography'',<ref name="thehindu1"/> August 2014.
# ''One Life is Not Enough: An Autobiography'',<ref name="thehindu1"/> August 2014.
#Treasured Epistles, August 2018.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Treasured Epistles|publisher=Rupa Publications|year=2019|isbn=9353041562}}</ref>
#Treasured Epistles, August 2018.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Treasured Epistles|publisher=Rupa Publications|year=2019|isbn=978-9353041564}}</ref>
 
==See also==
*[[S. Jaishankar|Dr. S. Jaishankar]]
*[[Navtej Sarna]]
* [[Syed Akbaruddin]]
*[[Taranjit Singh Sandhu]]
*[[Harsh Vardhan Shringla]]


==References==
==References==
Line 105: Line 100:


{{S-start}}
{{S-start}}
{{Succession box
{{s-par|in-lwr}}
| before = [[Yashwant Sinha]]
{{s-bef|before=[[Rajesh Pilot]]}}
| title = [[Indian Foreign Minister|Minister for External Affairs of India]]
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament<br />for [[Bharatpur Lok Sabha constituency|Bharatpur]] |years=1984 – 1989}}
| years = 2004–2005
{{s-aft|after=[[Vishvendra Singh]]}}
| after = [[Manmohan Singh]]
{{s-break}}
}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Maharani Divya Singh]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament<br />for [[Bharatpur Lok Sabha constituency|Bharatpur]] |years=1998 – 1999}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Vishvendra Singh]]}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Yashwant Sinha]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Indian Foreign Minister|Minister for External Affairs of India]]|years=23 May 2004 – 7 November 2005}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Manmohan Singh]]}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}


{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1980–89}}
{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1980–89}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
 
{{Wikiquote}}
<ref>{{cite web |last1=Singh |first1=K. Natwar |title=A diplomat's diary |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/a-diplomats-diary/article4952391.ece |website=The Hindu |access-date=4 May 2020 |language=en-IN |date=27 July 2013}}</ref>


{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Natwar}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Natwar}}
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:Rajasthani politicians]]
[[Category:All India Indira Congress (Tiwari) politicians]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians]]
[[Category:Ministers for External Affairs of India]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in civil service]]
[[Category:Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Fellows of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Fellows of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:India MPs 1984–1989]]
[[Category:India MPs 1998–1999]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of India to Poland]]
[[Category:High commissioners of India to Pakistan]]
[[Category:Indian Foreign Service officers]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Ministers for external affairs of India]]
[[Category:Peking University alumni]]
[[Category:Peking University alumni]]
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Indian diplomats]]
[[Category:People from Bharatpur district]]
[[Category:People from Bharatpur district]]
[[Category:Rajasthani people]]
[[Category:Rajasthani people]]
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in civil service]]
[[Category:Scindia School alumni]]
[[Category:Scindia School alumni]]
[[Category:8th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:Bahujan Samaj Party politicians from Rajasthan]]
[[Category:12th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Indian Foreign Service officers]]
[[Category:All India Indira Congress (Tiwari) politicians]]

Latest revision as of 17:35, 2 March 2026


K. Natwar Singh
Singh in 2005
Minister of External Affairs
In office
22 May 2004 – 6 November 2005
Prime MinisterManmohan Singh
Preceded byYashwant Sinha
Succeeded byManmohan Singh
Minister without portfolio
In office
6 November 2005 – 8 December 2005
Prime MinisterManmohan Singh
Preceded byMamata Banerjee
Succeeded byArun Jaitley
Personal details
Born(1931-05-16)16 May 1931
Jaghina, Bharatpur State, British India (present-day Rajasthan, India)
Died10 August 2024(2024-08-10) (aged 93)
Gurugram, Haryana, India
NationalityIndian
Political partyIndian National Congress (1984–2006)
Bahujan Samaj Party (2008)[1]
Spouse(s)Heminder Kaur
Children2, including Jagat Singh
ResidenceNew Delhi
EducationMayo College
Alma materSt. Stephen's College, Delhi.
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
OccupationPolitician
AwardsPadma Bhushan

Natwar Singh (16 May 1931 – 10 August 2024) was an Indian politician and diplomat of the Indian Foreign Service who later served as India's Minister of External Affairs from May 2004 to December 2005. Having been suspended by the Indian National Congress (INC) in 2006,[2] he joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 2008 but was removed from the party within four months.[3][1]

Singh was selected into the Indian Foreign Service in 1953. In 1984, he resigned from the service to contest elections as a member of the INC. He won the election and served as a union minister of state until 1989. Thereafter, he had a patchy political career until being made India's foreign minister in 2004. However, 18 months later, he had to resign after the United Nations' (UN) Volcker committee named both he and the INC to which he belonged as beneficiaries of illegal pay-offs in the scandal related to the UN's Oil-for-Food Programme.[4]

In 2014, he wrote his autobiography One Life is Not Enough. This book was criticised for its attempt to create sensation, while the Congress criticised Natwar Singh for distortion of facts due to his removal from the political position.[5][6]

Early life and education[edit | edit source]

The fourth son of Govind Singh and his wife Prayag Kaur of village 'Jagheena', Singh was born in the princely state of Bharatpur in an aristocrat Jat Hindu family related to the ruling dynasty of Bharatpur.[7] He attended Mayo College, Ajmer, a traditional educational institutions for Indian princely clans and nobles. Thereafter he took an undergraduate degree at the prestigious St. Stephen's College, Delhi. He subsequently studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and was a visiting scholar for a period at Peking University in China.[8]

Diplomatic career[edit | edit source]

Singh joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1953 and served for 31 years. One of his earliest assignments was in Beijing, China (1956–58). He was then posted to New York City at the Permanent Mission of India (1961–66) and as India's representative to executive board of UNICEF (1962–66). He served on several UN committees between 1963 and 1966. In 1966, he was posted to the Prime Minister's Secretariat under Indira Gandhi. He served as India's Ambassador to Poland from 1971 to 1973, India's Deputy High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1973 to 1977 and India's Ambassador to Pakistan from 1980 to 1982.[9] He was part of the Indian delegation to the Heads of Commonwealth Meeting in Kingston, Jamaica in 1975. He was an Indian Delegate to the 30th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York, Heads of Commonwealth Meeting, Lusaka, Zambia in 1979 and the 35th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York. He also accompanied Indira Gandhi on her State visit to the US in 1982. He served as an Executive Trustee, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) appointed by the Secretary-General, United Nations for six years (1981–86). He also served on the Expert Group appointed by the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, London in 1982. He was appointed Secretary-General of the Seventh Non-aligned Summit in New Delhi held in 1983 and Chief Coordinator of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in New Delhi in the same year. He served as Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs from March 1982 to November 1984. He received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in India from the Government of India, in 1984.[10]

Political career[edit | edit source]

Natwar Singh assumes the charge of Union Minister for External Affairs in New Delhi on 24 May 2004

In 1984, after resigning from the Indian Foreign Service, Singh joined the Indian National Congress (INC) party and was elected to the 8th Lok Sabha from Bharatpur constituency in Rajasthan. In 1985, he was sworn in as a minister of state (who is a minister, but one level below a cabinet minister) and allotted the portfolios of steel, coal and mines, and agriculture. In 1986, he became minister of state for external affairs. In that capacity, he was elected President of the United Nations (UN) Conference on Disarmament and Development held in New York in 1987, and also led the Indian delegation to the 42nd Session of the UN General Assembly.

Singh remained a minister of state for external affairs until the Congress party lost power after being defeated in the general elections of 1989. In those elections, he contested and lost the Mathura seat in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress party returned to power after the elections of 1991, with P.V. Narasimha Rao as Prime Minister since Rajiv Gandhi had been assassinated. At this time, Singh was not an MP and could not be a minister. He developed differences with the Prime Minister and left the party along with N.D. Tiwari and Arjun Singh, to form a new political party, All India Indira Congress.

In 1998, after Sonia Gandhi had regained complete control of the party, the three family loyalists merged their new party into the Congress party and returned into the service of the Gandhis. Singh was rewarded with a ticket to contest the general elections of 1998, and returned to parliament after a gap of nine years, when he was elected to the 12th Lok Sabha (1998–99) from Bharatpur. Singh had defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Dr. Digamber Singh, who would go on to become Rajasthan’s Minister of Health, Family Welfare, and later Industries, and emerge as the tallest leader in eastern Rajasthan in the early 2000s, virtually upending Singh’s hold in the region.[11] He had to sit in the opposition benches, however, and then he lost the elections of 1999. After a further hiatus of three years, he was elected (indirectly) to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan in 2002. The Congress party came back to power in 2004, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appointed Natwar Singh as the Minister of External affairs.

Oil-for-Food scandal[edit | edit source]

Singh assumed office on 23 May 2004 as India's minister of external affairs. On 27 October 2005, while Singh was abroad on an official visit, the Independent Inquiry Committee headed by Paul Volcker released the report on its investigation of corruption in the Oil-for-Food Programme. It included statements that India's Congress Party and Singh's family were non-contractual and corrupt beneficiaries of the Oil-for-Food Programme.[12] Anil Mathrani, then Indian Ambassador to Croatia and formerly a close aide to Singh, alleged that Singh had used an official visit to Iraq to procure oil coupons for his son, Jagat Singh, from Saddam's regime.[13]

On 26 March 2006, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced that it had traced a sum of eighty million rupees that had been transferred from the bank account of London-based Non-Resident Indian (NRI) businessman and family relative of Singh, Aditya Khanna, the son of businessman Vipin Khanna, to his own NRI account in a Delhi bank.[14][15] The amount was later withdrawn and allegedly distributed among Indian beneficiaries of the reported scam.[14]

Singh was suspended by the Congress in 2006.[2]

Later career[edit | edit source]

In February 2008, Singh announced that he had quit the Congress at a BJP-sponsored rally of the Jat community held at Jaipur in the presence of Vasundhara Raje, then Chief Minister of Rajasthan. On this occasion, Singh not only asserted his innocence but also launched an attack on Sonia Gandhi for having failed to defend or support him.[16]

In mid-2008, both Singh and his son Jagat joined Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party,[17] only to be expelled by that party within four months (in November 2008) for alleged indiscipline, anti-party activities and "lack of faith" in the ideology of the Bahujan Samaj Movement. In fact, Singh had been demanding a Rajya Sabha seat (which had apparently been promised before he joined the party) and Mayawati had changed her mind on that matter.[18][19] Jagat Singh later joined the BJP.[20]

Personal life and death[edit | edit source]

In August 1967, Singh married Heminder Kaur (born June 1939), the eldest daughter of the last Maharaja of Patiala State, Yadavindra Singh, and the sister of Amarinder Singh, who had served as the Chief Minister of Punjab. Heminder's mother Mohinder Kaur was also a politician.[21] Singh’s son, Jagat Singh, is also a politician.[22]

Natwar Singh died in Gurugram on 10 August 2024, at the age of 95.[23]

Autobiography[edit | edit source]

In August 2014, Singh's autobiography, One Life is Not Enough, was released.[24] The book claims to reveal developments during Indira Gandhi's, Rajiv Gandhi's, Narasimha Rao's and Manmohan Singh's regimes. It also describes the changing contours of Singh's close but complex political relationship with Indian National Congress president Sonia Gandhi over the years.[25] The book presents Singh's account of the Volcker report and the various political motions that took place in the background leading up to his resignation.

Congress rejected the allegations made by Singh and targeted him to have distorted facts "after being removed and publishes baseless things". They added that "spreading such sensationalism for shoring up the sale of a book" won't be accepted.[6]

Sonia Gandhi also responded to the book and rejected its contents. She even expressed the intention to write her own autobiography to reveal the truth.[26] Kallol Chakraborty writing for the Amar Ujala noted that the book fraught with the one-sided narrative may create sensation for sometime but it cannot achieve heights in the long run.[5]

Books published[edit | edit source]

  1. E.M.Forster : A Tribute (on Forster's Eighty Fifth Birthday), editor, with Contributions by Ahmed Ali, Narayana Menon, Raja Rao & Santha Rama Rau, New York, 1964
  2. The Legacy of Nehru: A Memorial Tribute, New York, 1965[27]
  3. Tales from Modern India, New York, 1966
  4. Stories from India, London, 1971
  5. Maharaja Suraj Mal, 1707-63: His Life and Times, London, 1981[28]
  6. Curtain Raisers, Delhi, 1984
  7. Profiles & Letters, Delhi, 1997
  8. The Magnificent Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala (1891–1938), Delhi, 1997
  9. Heart to Heart, Delhi, 2003.
  10. Yours Sincerely, December 2009.[29]
  11. Walking with Lions: Tales from a Diplomatic Past, Released by Hamid Ansari, March 2013.
  12. One Life is Not Enough: An Autobiography,[24] August 2014.
  13. Treasured Epistles, August 2018.[30]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 India, Press Trust of (10 August 2008). "Natwar Singh joins BSP". India Today. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Natwar Singh quits Congress party". Hindustan Times. 13 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  3. ↑ "BSP expels former external affairs minister Natwar Singh". The Times of India. 18 November 2008. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  4. ↑ "Volcker Report names Natwar Singh and Congress Party as "beneficiaries"". The Hindu. 29 October 2005. Archived from the original on 31 October 2005.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "वन लाइफ इज नॉट इनफ". Amar Ujala (in हिन्दी). 13 September 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Natwar Singh 'distorting' facts: Congress". The Hindu. 31 July 2014. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  7. ↑ "India Today". Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "K Natwar Singh: External Affairs Minister". Hindustan Times. 18 June 2004. Archived from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "Biographical Sketch Member of Parliament 12th Lok Sabha". Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "DR. DIGAMBER SINGH - Bharatpur - Lok Sabha Election Results 1998". www.electiontak.in. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  12. ↑ "Volcker Report names Natwar Singh and his family as "beneficiaries"". The Hindu. 29 October 2005. Archived from the original on 31 October 2005. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  13. ↑ Singh, Onkar (6 December 2005). "Natwar Singh resigns from Union Cabinet". rediff News. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Thakur, Pradeep (26 March 2006). "Oil-for-food: ED traces Rs 8-cr to Delhi bank". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  15. ↑ Baker, Richard; McKenzie, Nick (16 August 2010). "Money in the bag - Indian trade links under scrutiny". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  16. ↑ "Home " Nation Natwar Singh quits Congress". Zee News. 13 February 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  17. ↑ "Natwar Singh to join BSP". Hindustan Times. 9 August 2008. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  18. ↑ "Mayawati has no courtesy: Natwar Singh". www.outlookindia.com/. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  19. ↑ Singh, K. Natwar (27 July 2013). "A diplomat's diary". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  20. ↑ Mishra, Sachin Kumar (14 August 2021). "Jagat Singh Join BJP: नटवर सिंह के पुत्र जगत सिंह फिर भाजपा में हुए शामिल". Jagran (in हिन्दी). Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  21. ↑ Staff, The Dispatch (16 May 2020). "K Natwar Singh and his life of revelations - about him, by him". The Dispatch. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  22. ↑ "BSP fields two-time former MLA Jagat Singh from Ramgarh". The Times of India. 5 January 2019. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 13 April 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  23. ↑ "Former Foreign Minister Natwar Singh passes away at 95". Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 ""One Life is Not Enough": Natwar Singh's autobiography to rock the capital – The Hindu". Archived from the original on 20 June 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  25. ↑ "Inside Track: Kissa kursi ka | The Indian Express | Page 99". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  26. ↑ "Sonia Gandhi reacts to Natwar Singh's claims; says will write a book to 'reveal the truth' – Economic Times". Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  27. ↑ E. Smith, Donald (May 1966). "Book reviews: The Legacy of Nehru: A Memorial Tribute. by K. Natwar-Singh, S. Radhakrishnan". The Journal of Asian Studies. 25 (3): 574–575. doi:10.2307/2052086. JSTOR 2052086. S2CID 163577874.
  28. ↑ Embree, Ainslie (February 1983). Schaufele, William E. (ed.). "Eighteenth Century India". Darshan. 3 (3). New York: Consulate General of India: 55. ISSN 1044-8977. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  29. ↑ "'Yours sincerely', Natwar Singh". The Hindu. 9 December 2009. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  30. ↑ Treasured Epistles. Rupa Publications. 2019. ISBN 978-9353041564.
Lok Sabha
Preceded by
Rajesh Pilot 		Member of Parliament
for Bharatpur
1984 – 1989 		Succeeded by
Vishvendra Singh
Preceded by
Maharani Divya Singh 		Member of Parliament
for Bharatpur
1998 – 1999 		Succeeded by
Vishvendra Singh
Political offices
Preceded by
Yashwant Sinha 		Minister for External Affairs of India
23 May 2004 – 7 November 2005 		Succeeded by
Manmohan Singh
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