Aniel Matherani is the latest entrant in the Iraq oil voucher fraud theatre. In his sensational interview to 'India Today', which incidentally is voice recorded, he has confirmed three things.

One, Iraqis only needed a green signal for giving the oil vouchers to the Congress Party and Natwar provided it. Second, Natwar's son Jagat Singh and Jagat's cousin, Andaleep accompanied Natwar to Baghdad where they were looking for business.

Third, Natwar's action did imply to the Iraqi authorities that the two young men were part of Congress establishment, which was enough for the Iraqis to part with the oil vouchers to them.

Matherani does not stop at that. He asserts that Natwar Singh and Congress party were 'one and the same' in the oil allocation list. He says it is 'hogwash' that Natwar and Congress did not know that their names figured in the allottees list. Mathrani's later statements confirmed what he had told India Today. He charged that the magazine had 'unethically' used what he said 'off the record'. This damns the Congress and Natwar more, not less.

Who is this Mathrani? A Congressman, then in the foreign affairs cell of the party under Natwar; now the Indian Ambassador to Croatia - a job he has surely lost by stammering the truth off the record! He was in Baghdad and Amman along with Natwar in the year 2001.

Qualitatively, his testimony is a confession by a Congressman, also by a Manmohan government functionary. Even otherwise he was personally close to Natwar and was working under him.

Thus he was an eyewitness to the business transacted by Natwar, Jagat and Andaleep at Baghdad from where later they got oil vouchers and Amman where they paid kickbacks out of their gains to Saddam.

Mathrani is also cogent and meticulous in his assertions. He recalls every detail of the Baghdad and Amman episode. He also asserts that Sonia Gandhi, the Congress President, accompanied by Natwar, met the then Iraqi Vice President Ramadan at Delhi in November 27, 2000.

This is from where the entire sequence started. The second step was the invitation from the Iraqi Government to the Congress party addressed to Natwar. Then Sonia Gandhi sent a four-member Congress delegation in March 2001 as the third step that clinched the oil vouchers for the party, Mathrani confirms this.

Interestingly, Sonia's meeting with the Iraqi Vice President seems to have given - or was it intended to so give? - the first indication to the Iraqi authorities that Natwar carried the weight of the Congress President. As if to confirm to the Iraqi regime that Natwar represented Sonia Gandhi, she also sent a letter to Saddam Hussein through Natwar.

Now one can understand why Matherani says that Natwar and Congress were 'one and the same' in the oil vouchers list. It is clear that Iraqis intended and gave the oil vouchers for the Congress Party. The only issue is whether Natwar and company pocketed them and cheated the party, or they faithfully passed them on and the party is sacrificing Natwar to save itself and its leader.

After Mathrani's sensational exposure Jagat Singh came out with another claim that he was in the delegation as a member of the Youth Congress!

Within minutes of Jagat's claim Surjewalla, the then Youth Congress President, denied that Jagat went as the Youth Congress general secretary! This brings in another interesting dimension. Jagat was the Youth Congress general secretary also, not just Natwar's son, when he got the oil vouchers.

Still Manmohan Singh helplessly hangs to legalisms, asks the Enforcement Directorate to interrogate Matherani! Simultaneously as External Affairs Minister he recalls Matherani, obviously to coerce him as a witness.

Now look at the political realities. Constitutionally, Manmohan can even sack Natwar. But he cannot because it is not he, but, it is Sonia who made him minister. So it is only she who can sack him. Manmohan functions under Sonia, not under the Constitution. So he has to suffer Natwar, just as he suffers silently many others.

But why does Sonia, who has no constitutional or other constraints on her powers, not sack Natwar. Why? Is she also scared? Here is the clue. By taking the Matherani issue to the gates of 10 Janpath, Jagat has already hinted at what Natwar might do if he were sacked! QED: Manmohan Singh cannot sack Natwar because he is scared of Sonia. And Sonia will not sack him because she is frightened of him. Natwar must be laughing at both from ear to ear despite all his troubles.