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Jaswant Singh's absence from official functions sets tongues wagging

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Has External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh been marginalised. Is he in a sulk?

This is the topic of animated discussion in diplomatic circles, ever since his absence from important events pertaining to his ministry over the last 10 days.

"The minister is unwell," said the official MEA spokesman Raminder Singh Jassal, and terminated further queries on Singh's unusual absence.

Tongues began wagging ever since the high-profile Singh was absent on February 8 in Rashtrapati Bhavan, at a function to receive Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid and wife, which was attended by President K R Narayanan, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and central minister Vasundhararaje Scindia.

Queries from reporters as to why the MEA minister was absent, was met with a stoic silence from senior government officials. However, none of them indicated at that time that Singh was indisposed.

However, government sources told rediff.com that despite the claims of the MEA spokesman that Singh was unwell, his mysterious absence could be attributable to his "overreaching himself " on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

According to these sources, Singh's one-to-one negotiations with the US deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott turned controversial when South Block mandarins felt he was conceding more than stated in his brief. Singh had, in his negotiations with Talbott late last year, given Washington to understand that more time was needed for the Indian leadership to make up its mind on this crucial issue.

"The minister's camaraderie with US officials was fine but did he overreach his brief on CTBT is the billion-dollar question," informed MEA sources told this correspondent.

They indicated that US officials, including Madeleine Albright, had hinted to their Indian counterparts that they had been given to understand in Washington that New Delhi would sign the CTBT.

The sources further said Singh's role during the Flight IC 814 crisis had also given his critics much cannon-fodder against him.

The eventual deal that was struck was that three terrorists, including Maulana Masood Azhar, were released to secure the release of the passengers, which did not go down well with many in the government.

Significantly, Union Home Minister L K Advani had vehemently protested against the barter, and had reportedly offered to resign over the issue.

Adding frisson to Singh's absence is the resounding silence from him over the recent interview on Doordarshan with Pakistan's chief executive, General Pervez Musharraf.

"This is most un-Jaswant Singh-like," said a top government source. "The general had made certain observations on India, and his utterances on nuclear and other issues would have elicited a rejoinder from the MEA minister," he pointed out.

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