Isolated in the party and with 11 days to go to reply to his show-cause notice, the barb against Sonia Gandhi—his protestations of loyalty to the Nehru-Gandhis notwithstanding—may well end Singh’s long innings in the Grand Old Party. And Singh, despite his bravado today, seemed to know it.

Sitting under the shade of a late-flowering laburnum tree, a deep burgundy handkerchief providing a quaint touch to his natty grey suit, Natwar Singh delivered a 75-minute performance this evening that was clearly inspired by Dylan Thomas’s immortal lines: ‘‘Do not go gentle into the good night; Rage, rage against the dying light...’’

And rage he did—against the ‘‘flaws’’ in Justice Pathak’s report that unfairly indicted him, against the Prime Minister who refused to give him an appointment or listen to his words of wisdom on international affairs, against the Congress’ Disciplinary Action Committee which had dared to issue him a show-cause notice, and against the United States of America not just for turning the war on terror to ‘‘a war against the Islamic world’’ but also, he hinted darkly, for turfing him out of South Block.

His rage did not even spare Sonia Gandhi, though he tried to cover it up in reply to specific questions. ‘‘Till today, Sonia Gandhi in her generosity and greatness has said nothing against me and neither will I say anything against her,’’ Natwar said, apparently still hoping against hope that his avowed loyalty to the Nehru-Gandhi family, his self-acknowledged ‘‘Nehruvite’’ inclinations would somehow shield him from the sword of discipline.

That apart, the press conference—ostensibly called to ‘‘clear the air’’ of rumours—did no such thing. Natwar Singh, egged on by his very confident and combative son Jagat Singh, offered no olive branch, nor adopt a conciliatory tone.

Instead, in a rambling soliloquy, he pleaded innocence of all wrongdoing, took swipes against the Prime Minister and Congress Disciplinary Action Committee chairman A.K. Antony, and gave the assembled press corps a short history on India’s foreign policy. Extolling Nehru’s policy of nonalignment, he hinted that he may have been targeted—like Jack Straw and Abdullah Abdullah—because he stood for an independent (i.e. anti-US) foreign policy.

Commending the otherwise ‘‘flawed’’ Pathak report for having ‘‘completely absolved myself and my son of any financial impropriety or any financial gain’’, Singh insisted that during his entire stay in Baghdad there had been been no discussion with anyone on ‘‘oil for food, vouchers, contracts, receipts or bank accounts.’’

He did make a ‘‘brief call’’ on the oil minister of Iraq but it was merely a ‘‘courtesy call’’. On his return, he fully briefed Sonia Gandhi on his Baghdad visit. ‘‘She is fully aware of what was discussed and transpired,’’ Singh said, adding again that nothing took place in the party without her green signal.

Was he trying to say that Sonia knew more than she was letting on? Natwar quickly backtracked and said, ‘‘I am not casting any aspersions, I will never cast any aspersions on Sonia Gandhi.’’

Similarly, in reply to a pointed question, Natwar admitted that he had not shown the three letters—cited in the Pathak report—to Sonia Gandhi either. But, nowhere in the letters had he asked that a contract be given to anyone. As a political leader, he wrote thousands of letters. ‘‘If the letter I wrote is misused by the person, I cannot be held responsible,’’ he said, in a clear attempt to distance himself from his son’s close associate Andaleep Sehgal.

The suspended leader—who had railed against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for not even winning a municipal election—admitted that he had spoken out of anger and hurt. ‘‘I shouldn’t have used those words, but I did not tell a lie,’’ he said, rubbing in his disdain for the PM.

He also said that while Dr Manmohan Singh ‘‘is a friend and colleague’’, at this juncture, ‘‘the nation needs decisive, resolute, forceful leadership.’’ He would also like to meet the PM, not ‘‘on bended knees’’ but to discuss ‘‘big issues’’—US, Iran, Iraq, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka...

As for the Congress party, Natwar Singh pointed out that he had not spoken against the party, he was a ‘‘loyal soldier’’ of the party, he would not resign from the party—but he would not be ‘‘cowed down’’ by the show-cause notice either. In the very next breath, he mocked at the A.K. Antony—‘‘Where has he come from? Hasn’t he violated discipline himself’’— alluding to the fact that Antony had walked out of the Congress in the past.

Where were all his new found friends—Amar Singh, Yashwant Sinha, Digivijay Singh et al—today? someone asked. Natwar snapped backed that on the nuclear deal issue he had ‘‘tremendous support’’ throughout the country and went on to speak at length on how the essence of the agreement was being distorted by the US. ‘‘If the Prime Minister is able to satisfy the House that no departure has been made from the July 18 statement, I will be the first to congratulate him,’’ he added.