 meeting.)
Veteran Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi on Monday condoled the passing away of former external affairs minister K Natwar Singh, saying he made important contributions to national affairs.
In a letter to Singh's wife Heminder Kumari, Gandhi said she was sorry to learn that Singh passed away.
"He has been your life's companion and losing him must be painful for you," she said in her letter to Kumari.
"He (Singh) had a full life with diverse interests. He was active in many spheres and made important contributions to national affairs in his professional career," Gandhi said.
"He will be missed by a wide circle of friends. I send my sincere condolences to you and your family," the former Congress chief said.
Singh (93) passed away on Saturday night after a prolonged illness, family sources said. He breathed his last at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, where he had been admitted for the past couple of weeks, they said.
Singh wore many hats as he straddled the worlds of diplomacy, politics and writing.
When the Congress came back to power in 2004, the then prime minister Manmohan Singh appointed Natwar Singh as the minister for external affairs.
In October, 2005, while Singh was abroad on an official visit, the Independent Inquiry Committee headed by Paul Volcker released the report on its investigation of corruption in the Oil-for-Food programme. It said Natwar Singh's family was non-contractual beneficiaries of the programme.
Singh had to quit as minister and later resigned from the Congress, apparently upset that Gandhi had not defended him.