Left sources said they felt “let down” by Natwar after Pathak’s revelation regarding the letters he wrote and the lobbying he did for his son’s friend to get the oil deal.

They are said to have advised him that he could claim that he had signed the letters “without realising the potential for damage” and he had not meant to compromise the Congress in any way.

Natwar was said to have sought a meeting with the PM in Parliament House but that never took place.

The CPI, which had so far been backing Natwar, too distanced itself. CPI’s Gurudas Dasgupta, who leads his party’s parliamentary group, said, “The cover of anti-imperialism cannot be used to do something wrong. The former minister introducing a son’s friend is wrong. We do not want to favour anyone big or small. This is corruption.”