New Delhi, Oct. 29: Faced with one of the worst political crises in his long career, for- eign minister K. Natwar Singh today expressed “outrage” at the UN report that linked him to the Iraq oil-for-food scandal.

“I am deeply shocked and outraged by these allegations which are baseless and untrue,” Singh said in a statement from Frankfurt on his way home from an official engagement in Russia.

The Paul Volcker report has alleged that many Indian companies received contracts under the programme by bribing the Saddam Hussein government.

Some of the companies named, such as State Trading Corporation and Ranbaxy, have denied the charge.

The foreign minister’s statement said: “My record in public life for the past 50 years and more has been an open book. My per- sonal integrity has never been questioned. I will, of course, examine the report in detail on my return and meet the Prime Minister and the Congress president.”

“This is obviously part of the continuing campaign to malign the Congress party and its senior leaders and functionaries,” the minister said.

Singh, as one of the key leaders of the Congress, had played a crucial role in getting a resolution passed in Parliament that be- came one of the hurdles before the National Democratic Alliance government in sen- ding Indian troops to Iraq on American request.

Sources in South Block believe that his visit to Iran in September this year, too, had not gone down well with the Americans.