Voices

India Today, January 18, 1999
Jan 18, 1999

Nobody need give us a sermon on secularism. There was no dispute over religion in India."
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, prime minister, on the issue of the attack on Christians

"We will accept whatever they say."
Kushabhau Thakre, BJP president, conceding that the Government would have the final say in matters of governance

"The BJP is shedding crocodile tears over Gujarat."
Ajit Jogi, Congress spokesman, on the BJP National Executive giving a clean chit to the Keshubhai Patel Government

"Only governments that take tough decisions survive in the long run."
Yashwant Sinha, Union finance minister, saying populist measures were detrimental to the economy

"Why was not Mahatma Gandhi given the Nobel Prize for peace? Why was Mother Teresa given the prize?"
Acharya Giriraj Kishore, VHP leader, in The Pioneer

"I am used to handling political pressure. I have been doing it in Tamil Nadu for the past six years."
R K Raghavan, new CBI director, in The Indian Express

"We talked about winning, but when it came to delivering we just couldn't."
Mohammed Azharuddin, Indian cricket captain, on losing the Test series to New Zealand

"Sure I have competition ... but only from my heroines."
Shah Rukh Khan, actor, in Filmfare