There is a common misconception that the Congress party is in a dilemma about what to do with Mr Natwar Singh. It is being forgotten that the Congress does not have a history of expelling members who make a nuisance of themselves within the party. From Subhas Chandra Bose to Mr Vishwanath Pratap Singh to Mr Arun Nehru, nobody was expelled from the party because of his alleged misdemeanours or anti-party activities. They all chose to walk out of the Congress. That option is also open to Mr Singh should he want to exercise it. The dilemma is thus Mr Singh’s and not the party’s. The Congress has very little to gain by taking disciplinary action against Mr Singh. For one thing, it cannot stop him from attending parliament by expelling him from the Congress parliamentary party. He can, of course, be expelled from the Congress, but this will only enable Mr Singh to be more of a loose cannon than he is at the moment. The Congress party leadership has thus chosen to ignore Mr Singh’s antics. Moreover, the much flaunted privilege motion, if admitted, can actually work to the advantage of the Congress. If allowed, the privilege motion will allow steam to be let off on a matter of procedure rather than of substance. It will also deflect attention from more important issues that could have embarrassed the government. The Congress is justifiably happy by allowing Mr Singh to fume and fret.

If Mr Singh’s recent performance is any indicator, then it is clear that he is quite capable of cooking his own goose. From the day charges were levelled against him, Mr Singh has revelled in defying the party to which, at one time, he had declared undying loyalty. He is now quite openly hobnobbing with self-styled political leaders whose principal aim is to try and embarrass the the Congress president. The report submitted by Mr R.S. Pathak has indicted Mr Singh for a series of indiscretions. In scurrying for cover to save himself from the implications of the indictment, he is choosing those very forces which he had seen as enemies before his shenanigans became public knowledge. Mr Singh is thus compounding his moral irresponsibility by his political opportunism. He was known, within the Congress, as a man of learning. That reputation he himself has torn to shreds. A Passage to Notoriety will be a good title for his biography, if one is ever written.