"It's akin to the Watergate scandal and mostundesirable. In fact, the alleged bugging of theoffice of the FinanceMinister
-who is No 2 inthe Union Cabinetand a prominentfigure inCongress politics- is a threat todemocracy itself."

--Telugu Desam Party President N ChandrababuNaidu demanding that the Governmentimmediately conduct a thoroughenquiry into the alleged bugging of the officeof Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee

"If Digvijay Singh has a role to play here,then he plays therole of a stepney(spare tire) ofRahul Gandhi.Digvijay Singhdoesn't play a politicalrole separatelyhere.Commenting onhim in UttarPradesh would be like a waste of comment."

--Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaderUma Bharti's comment while interactingwith media persons

"Having seen the video I have no doubt atall now that my dad is a better dancer thanSushma Swaraj. Glad dance now (is an) acceptableprotest."
--Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullahtweeting on the BJP leader's impromptuperformance at a Rajghat protest against thecrackdown on Baba Ramdev

"In the Ramayana,it says that Ramtaught a lesson to theogress Tadaka whenhe was in exile...."

--DMK chief M.Karunanidhi, whois a famed atheistand King Ravana proponent, resorting to the"Ramayana" to console partymen

"Mass-producing engineers without anyquality is of no use to us…You cannot havean IIT producing a top-class person and an unknowncollege in Tamil Nadu producing anotherperson with absolutely no match in theirquality."
--Metro Man E. Sreedharan stating thatthe quality of a majority of engineers in thecountry is below acceptable standards

"Young boys andgirls are kept togetherin co-education systemand are shoulderto shoulder with eachother. You are keepingfire and hay togetherand no one cansave the hay fromburning."

--Hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali ShahGeelani commenting on the co-educationsystem in Jammu and Kashmir

"A lot of goodwishes to thegrandfather. Iwant Abhishekand Ash to createan entirecricket team."

–SalmanKhan congratulatingtheBachchan familyon AishwaryaRai'spregnancy

"My God whata tragic loss…Hussein saab isno more... I methim last in Dubaiat the EmiratesTowers somemonths ago... justcannot believeit."

-Actress CelinaJaitly on theIndian Picasso'sdeath

"India is a rising giant whose influence isbeing felt not only in the Indian Ocean, but inthe Americas, in Africa, the Middle East, andin Central Asia… Its rise – fuelled by a young,optimistic, dynamic, educated population

–will be one of the great stories of our time."US Assistant Secretary of State for Southand Central Asia Robert O' Blake noting thatIndia was on track to have the largest economyby 2050

"The United States and American companiesare at risk of being left behind and extendinga period of low, slow economicgrowth if we do not do more to foster tradeand investment betweenthe US andIndia."

--Harold "Terry"McGraw III, chairman,president andCEO of The Mc-Graw-Hill Companies,who is alsothe USIBC Chairman

"Every time we make amove toward improvingour relationship withIndia... the Pakistanisfind that creates a lot ofcognitive dissonance….So are you our friend orare you their friend? It'sall a zero-sum game tothem (Pakistanis)."

--US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tothe Senate Foreign Relations Committeeduring a hearing on Afghanistan andPakistan

"Women do lovea cricketer. It's oneof those things. It'slike Aston Martins.They just love it."

--Actor HughGrant on whatmakes the cricketersso desirable.

[ BY LAVANYA GARIKINA ]