Claiming that the "credibility" of the Volcker Committee report on Iraqi oil pay-offs was "going down by the day", Natwar Singh Wednesday said he gave up the external affairs portfolio in the "larger interest" of the party and the country and did not want to be the "focus" in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit in Dhaka.
Reacting to Paul Volcker's comments in New York that he was not sure whether Natwar Singh was notified on the contents in his report on the oil-for-food programme scam, he welcomed the statement.
Natwar Singh told NDTV that from the beginning he had been wanting to know to which address he had sent the letter since Volcker had also said he did not know he (Natwar Singh) was the eternal afairs minister.
He was reacting to comments made by India's Permanent epresentative to the UN Nirupam Sen after his meeting with Volcker that his impression was that Singh was not sent any notice the finding against him.
The minister without portfolio said he had given up the external affairs ministry even without proof of allegations against him.
"I had to go to the SAARC summit. I was to leave Thursday. The whole focus would have been on me and not on SAARC. I thought it was not correct," he said.
When he conveyed his decision to step down pending the inquiry, the prime minister was good enough to ask him whether he would like to remain as a minister without portfolio to which he agreed.
"I said yes as I am not taking it as a personal matter," Natwar Singh said adding, he had told the prime minister that his services were available for the country and he would accept any task that is given to him.
"The validity and credibility of the report is going down by the day," Natwar Singh said pointing to Volcker's remarks that he had himself made changes in the report to help U N Secretary General Kofi Annan.
He said it was for the country to arrive at a conclusion on Volcker's latest comments.
The minister without portfolio maintained that "no substance with proof was put forward" in the report while his name as well as that of Congress party was mentioned as having been "non-contractual beneficiary" of the oil-for-food programme.
Emphasising that the Congress had a great legacy, Natwar Singh said he found it "outrageous" for any Indian to suggest that the party or its foreign minister would "compromise the country's honour by selling oil".
He said had he done anything wrong, "I will be the first person to put in my papers. But when I was treated the way I was, I said I am a fighter and would fight back."
To a question, he said he would not make any comment on Congress colleagues as he was a "disciplined" party member.
"As a senior leader and member of the Congress Working Committee, I do not have the freedom to go to the town or for verbal overkill," Natwar Singh said.
"But I will, with the permission of the Prime Minister, Rajya Sabha chairman and Lok Sabha speaker, like to make a suo motu statement in Parliament on what has happened," he said.
About the time he spent after resigning as external affairs minister, Natwar Singh said it had been "wary and tiresome". But, he added, he had "very strong nerves".
