New Delhi, Nov. 9: He may have lost his empire, but the banquet beckoned.

So hours after being eased out as foreign minister, Natwar Singh landed up at Monday evening’s official dinner the President hosted for his Czech counterpart, though his name had been struck off the guest list.

He even managed a seat at the same table with his party chief, but the combative minister without portfolio is not so sure about another chair. Sources in the Congress said there is a question mark against whether he will remain part of the cabinet committee on political affairs.

The sources said Natwar was part of the committee, which deals with issues like inter-state water disputes and constitutional crises arising out of split electoral verdicts, because the deliberations sometimes required inputs from his ministry.

As Natwar no longer had a ministry, there was no point retaining him. But, they added, if the “signal” from 10 Janpath was he should continue in the committee, it is possible he would.

The doors of another core panel have already closed on Natwar. Although Manmohan Singh today ruled out dropping him from the Union council of ministers, sources close to the Prime Minister said there was no question of the minister attending meetings of the cabinet committee on security.

Its composition, they said, does not allow the presence of the minister without portfolio. Besides the Prime Minister, the committee comprises the defence, home, foreign and finance ministers.

Natwar’s presence at the banquet in Rashtrapati Bhavan raised quite a few eyebrows. Officials close to him pointed out that “technically” he remained foreign minister till the President accepted his resignation. But officials in South Block wondered how a senior leader like him could land up at the banquet hours after being eased out.

Sources said Natwar was introduced as “minister without portfolio” to the Czech President. Singh also managed a seat at the same table with Sonia Gandhi, but indications suggest that though the banquet lasted more than an hour, there was very little interaction between the two.