As the nation mourns the demise of the veteran Congress leader and former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh on Saturday (August 10), let's glance through his decades of a prolific career that saw many highs and lows, including a reason behind him ending a 25-year-long association with the Congress party.
Early Life
K. Natwar Singh was born in 1931 in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan into an aristocratic Jat Hindu family, connected to the ruling dynasty of Bharatpur. His early education was at Mayo College in Ajmer and Scindia School in Gwalior. He later attended St. Stephen's College, Delhi, for his undergraduate studies, followed by a degree from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University. Singh also spent a brief period as a visiting scholar at Peking University in China.
A Seasoned Diplomat
Before entering the political arena, Singh had a distinguished career as a diplomat. He joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1953 and held several key positions over the years. Notably, he served as India's Deputy High Commissioner to the UK from 1973 to 1977 and as India’s High Commissioner to Zambia in 1977. Singh was later appointed as India’s Ambassador to Pakistan from 1980 to 1982, a crucial role given the tense relations between the two countries.
Singh's diplomatic career reached its zenith when he served as Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs from March 1982 to November 1984. He was also bestowed with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, in 1984 for his service to the nation.
Political Career
In 1984, Singh transitioned from diplomacy to politics, joining the Congress Party. His political career was marked by significant roles, including his appointment as External Affairs Minister in 2004-05 under Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Earlier, he served as the Union Minister of State for Steel, Mines, and Coal, and later as Minister of State for Agriculture from 1985-86 in Rajiv Gandhi’s government. He also held the position of Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs from 1986-89. This was during his first stint in politics, getting elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) from Bharatpur, Rajasthan, after leaving the Indian Foreign Service.
Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that Singh also maintained a distance from the politics post the appointment of the then Prime Minister P.V. Narsimha Rao in 1991, as the two reportedly hold differences. He had then became one of the founders of the All India Indira Congress.
However, in 2002, Singh made a significant comeback with his appointment as the Rajya Sabha member. There too he continued to hold significant influence, eventually being appointed as the External Affairs Minister in Dr. Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet in 2004. But, his tenure was cut short in 2006 when he resigned amidst the oil-for-food scandal, which implicated people close to him, including his son, in financial irregularities. Although Singh consistently maintained his position, the controversy marred his political career, leading to his resignation from the Cabinet.
The scandal, brought to light by the UN’s Volcker Committee, alleged that Singh and the Congress Party had benefited from illicit payments related to the oil-for-food program.
'Resigns from Congress'
Singh resigned from Congress in 2008, ending his 25-year-long association with the party. However, in 2014 he marked a controversy by launching outspoken criticism of Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Dr. Manmohan Singh, which he detailed in his 2014 autobiography, One Life Is Not Enough.
READ MORE | K Natwar Singh, former external affairs minister, dies at 93
