NEW DELHI: The Congress on Wednesday said it was not going to oblige the former External Affairs Minister, K. Natwar Singh, by expelling him. "We are not in the business of obliging Mr. Singh," said party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi.

Mr. Singhvi was replying to questions on why the party was not expelling him though he was cosying with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and his uncharitable remarks on Sonia Gandhi.

In turn, the Congress posed a similar question to Mr. Singh _ why he was not leaving the party if he was so disillusioned with it and its leader. "Why is he staying on?" Mr. Singhvi said in a suo motu statement on Mr. Singh's speech at a seminar hosted by the SP in Lucknow on Tuesday.

On Mr. Singh's expulsion, he said such decisions are taken at a time of the party's choosing and not to suit someone's convenience.

Describing the function as a platform for opportunists, Mr. Singhvi wished Mr. Singh well should he choose to "co-habit" with people who demanded his arrest when the Volcker findings in the oil-for-food scam were first disclosed.

Simultaneously, he pointed out that "a person who has enjoyed every possible comfort and privilege in his entire life in the Congress party and yet could not be a true Congressman can scarcely be expected to be loyal to his new-found friends."

According to Mr. Singhvi, the speech smacked of "rank opportunism, political chicanery and lust to be continuously in office." Further, according to him, "It is not a statement of a mature political leader but an irritated and frustrated former beneficiary of Congress largesse who has clearly lost his balance after losing his seat as a minister."

As for Mr. Singh raising the issue of Ms. Gandhi's foreign origin, the Congress spokesman said the suspended person had exhibited his moral and intellectual bankruptcy by raking up the issue.

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